Live Before You Die
by thetsunamifan
Summary: A tom kitten searches for his true calling before FIP takes his life.
1. Prologue

Four-month-old Cosmo snuggled up cozily against his plush bear near the fireplace. His blue eyes blinked sleepily as a door opened and closed. His full-grown male twoleg has just arrived home that night, glad to see his pet in a better condition than he had been in that morning. The housefolk stroked the white tabby cat's silky fur before leaving the living room to greet the other housefolk.

"Has he been sleeping?" he asked his wife.

"Yes, he has. He hasn't eaten anything lately, you know? Don't you think we should put him to sleep already?"

"He's gone more than two weeks and hasn't died yet. Let's give him time."

"Time won't cure him. He's going to die one way or the other. I don't want to put him through this anymore."

The housefolk wrinkled his forehead, but it smoothed out again. "Ah, fine. I'll take him in tomorrow."

Cosmo's ear twitched as the housefolk spoke. He didn't understand their language, but he noticed the extra attention he'd been receiving recently. Ever since he quarreled with that feral kitten, Cosmo had been feeling quite different from his ordinary self. He had a lack of appetite and was sleeping twice as much as usual. He lazily groomed his white-and-pale-tabby coat as he thought. Maybe if he went next door, Snow could find out what was going on. He hadn't seen her for nearly a moon, and much must have changed since then.

After a nice stretch, Cosmo abandoned the warmth of the fire and escaped out into the cold night air through the cracked window. He trotted next door, slipped under the fence, and mewed softly for the older gray tabby. A she-cat whose eyes glowed a brilliant amber appeared through a dog-door. She settled in front of the kitten and began to groom herself. "You called?"

"Hello, Snow. I think there might be something wrong with me."

Snow's eyes narrowed to slits as she observed him. "Yeah, there sure is. You disturb other cats' sleep to make them help you with your self-esteem issues."

"I don't mean _that_ type of wrong. I'm worried I might be sick."

"Hmm..." Snow leaned forward and took a good sniff. "You smell horrible, like sickness. Are you okay?"

"I hope so, or my housefolk will take me back to the twoleg medicine cats."

"It smells like a sickness my older sibling had. My housefolk took her to the twoleg medicine cats, and she never came back."

Cosmo's fur prickled with fear. "W-Will that happen to me?"

"I hope it doesn't. I kinda like you." Snow purred as she circled her young friend and stroked his chin with her tail. "I'll see you later, I'm dog-tired."

"B-Bu..." Cosmo called softly as she disappeared into the dog-door again. "I don't want to disappear forever. I don't want to be sick and get taken away from my housefolk." Cosmo trembled as the crisp night wind ruffled his soft pelt. "I can't go back. They'll just take me away... I can never go back. They'll hurt me if I'm sick. I have to get away..."

Cosmo slid under the fence again and looked both ways - at his twoleg nest, and at the forbidden wild. In his twoleg nest, he would be safe from harm and warm until he was taken away. In the wild, he would never have to worry about abandonment if he abandoned his housefolk first. The words of Snow echoed in his head as he made for the wilderness. Even if he died in the wild with not the slightest idea of how to hunt, even if his sickness took his life, it would feel better than being betrayed by his housefolk. Forcing himself not to look back, Cosmo disappeared into the night fog.


	2. Cats of FeralClan

Leader: Cherrystar - tortoiseshell she-cat with a dark russet forepaw and green eyes

Deputy: Stormscar - dark gray tom with hazel eyes and a scar down his throat (apprentice: Hazypaw)

Medicine cat: Junipertooth - elderly blue-gray tom with pale blue eyes (apprentice: Deerheart)

Warriors:

Pumpkinwhisker: sleek she-cat with a pure ginger pelt and amber eyes

Foxsong: black-and-russet she-cat with amber eyes (apprentice: Rainbowpaw)

Dandelionfur - pale ginger tom with green eyes

Beavertail - brown tom with a dark bushy tail and amber eyes

Oceanwhisper - gray she-cat with black legs, white paws and blue eyes

Dogclaw - brown tabby tom with hazel eyes (apprentice: Ratpaw)

Snowflakefoot - fluffy white she-cat with green eyes

Wolfpelt - light brown tabby tom with a dark face and pale green eyes

Frozengrass - pale gray tabby she-cat with dark stripes and dark green eyes (apprentice: Gorsepaw)

Tawnyleaf - fluffy tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with blue eyes

Skeletondawn - slender dark gray she-cat with a white belly and amber eyes (apprentice: Fogpaw)

Lightsky - black-and-white she-cat with pale blue eyes

Apprentices:

Ratpaw - black tom with amber eyes

Fogpaw - pale gray she-cat with light blue eyes

Rainbowpaw - tortoiseshell tom with purple eyes

Hazypaw - dark gray tabby she-cat with a white tail and green eyes

Gorsepaw - mottled brown tom with hazel eyes

Deerheart - gray-brown tabby tom with pale green eyes

Queens:

Fawnberry - sleek light brown she-cat with green eyes (mother of Petalkit and Rosemarykit)

Clovereye - ginger-and-white tabby she-cat with dark green eyes (mother of Raccoonkit, Bearkit, and Nightkit)


	3. The First Step to Change

The dense fog made the already-drowsy kitten sway on his feet. Unable to walk another step, Cosmo collapsed in a clump of moss. He didn't even look up when a rustling sounded nearby. _If it's prey, I can't hunt anyways, _he thought sleepily. He was startled out of his half-asleep state when a paw prodded his shoulder. He leaped to his paws, arching his back at the rival cat before him. It was a she-cat with ginger fur and amber eyes that reminded Cosmo of Snow's.

"Oh, I knew I picked up a cat's scent, but to think it was a kit out all on its own..."

"Wh-Who are you? P-Please don't touch me... go away." Cosmo lowered himself to the ground and wrapped his tail around his feet.

"My name is Pumpkinwhisker, little one. What is your name?"

"Cosmo..."

"Cosmo? Could it be that you're a kittypet? I see no collar..."

"My housefolk took mine off when it started irritating me."

"Where are your housefolk now?"

Cosmo's eyes became dark with sorrow. "I ran away from them. I got sick and if I let them take me to the twoleg medicine cats, I would never come back."

"You poor soul. I would take you to my Clan, but if you're sick, I'm afraid that cannot happen."

"Did you say 'Clan?'" Cosmo stood straight again, ears up. "There's a Clan here after all?"

"Yes, more than just one. I come from FeralClan, which is at the top of a hill near the ocean shore. You are very close to our camp now. In fact, you have intruded upon our territory."

"I-I'm sorry. I don't want to cause trouble. I'll just go..."

"No, no." Pumpkinwhisker waved a paw at him. "I refuse to let a kitten go off on his own and risk being captured by the other Clans. I will bring you with me and speak to my leader."

"Why are you being nice to me, miss? Aren't I a stranger to you?"

Pumpkinwhisker smiled down at him. "You seem like a nice little kitten. To let you die out there would be unlike me."

Pumpkinwhisker led the kit up a path surrounded by tall grass that led into a camp barricaded by low-standing trees. The camp was placed on the very top of one of the many hills near the ocean.

"Please stay there," Pumpkinwhisker told him once they reached the entrance. The ginger she-cat bounded across the clearing and down a hole leading underground. Cosmo struggled to ignore the prying eyes and whispers of other cats as he waited. After a few awkward moments, Pumpkinwhisker emerged with a slim tortoiseshell she-cat. She had a russet forepaw and grass-green eyes that were obviously confused at what she saw before her.

"Pumpkinwhisker... I know your kits only recently moved up to become apprentices, but this is not a way to get yourself into the nursery again," the she-cat sighed.

"Cherrystar, the poor thing is sick and helpless. He is not a threat to us."

"If he is contagious, he soon will be," Cherrystar retorted, her tail bristling with uneasiness.

"Can't we put him in quarantine? I will do the amount of hunting I am already doing, and I will also hunt everything for him. No one else will have to worry about him, or go near him. And I promise not to fall ill as well."

"You are a determined cat, I'll give you that." Cherrystar sighed again. "If this is truly what you want, I will argue no further. He shall be placed nearby the camp in the underground cavern. Pumpkinwhisker, you are not to go so close to him as to even breathe his air. Drop off fresh-kill at the entrance and leave him again. And he is how old?"

"I'm four moons," Cosmo mewed.

"When he is old enough, he is to be sent away from our territory. Are my instructions understood?"

Pumpkinwhisker gave a quick, firm nod.

"All right. And you - what is your name?"

"Cosmo."

"I see no need to change your name, as you are not a member of FeralClan. Well then, Cosmo, I expect that you will not hunt on our grounds and will wait patiently for Pumpkinwhisker to bring you fresh-kill."

"I understand."

"I will take full responsibility for him," Pumpkinwhisker vowed.

"I'm glad to hear that. I will announce this to the Clan. You, Pumpkinwhisker, go on and get the kit settled and find him fresh-kill."

"Yes, Cherrystar. Follow me, Cosmo."

The last thing Cosmo heard before leaving was, "All cats old enough to fight in battle gather beneath Stoneledge for a Clan meeting."

Pumpkinwhisker picked up some moss on their way to Cosmo's new home. Pumpkinwhisker spread the moss out on the cavern floor. "Here's some soft moss to sleep on. There is a stream underground if you get thirsty, and there are also some small mice down here if you want to try at hunting. But for now, I'll will handle that for you."

Cosmo curled up in the moss and half-closed his eyes. "I told my leader that you were a kittypet - a cat belonging to the twolegs. She disagreed with me, but I urged her to help a sick kitten in need." Cosmo lifted his head when Pumpkinwhisker dropped a plump dead mouse in front of him. "My mate, Crowmoon, recently died. I miss him very much, and... your eyes..." Pumpkinwhisker gazed sadly at the kitten as it watched her speak. "Your eyes remind me of his."

"How did Crowmoon die?" Cosmo asked.

"There have been twolegs intruding on our territory lately. They are setting traps for us. Crowmoon was checking one and it caught him. As long as you don't venture too far from here, you shouldn't have to worry about that." Pumpkinwhisker looked back before leaving. "Goodbye for now."

Cosmo prodded the mouse with a paw once she was gone. He never ate anything living before, only the hard, bland food his housefolk provided. Did he really want this? Did he really want to be looked after by feral cats and live down here for however much time he had left? He would much rather spend his remaining days in his housefolk nest, curled up by the fire, cared for by his housefolk and not having to be cold and lonely all the time.

If this was the only other option he had, then what a pitiable life it was!


	4. A Kit in Need

Cosmo tucked his paws beneath his belly. He was bored out of his mind, yet was too frightened of the cats from FeralClan to go outside again. This was his second night there; he'd already spent his first day left in the care of other cats and couldn't decide whether he liked it or not. Cosmo opened his sleepy eyes as a cat entered his new underground home. But this cat wasn't Pumpkinwhisker - it was a tortoiseshell kit with a black face and green eyes. Poking her head inside was another kit with reddish fur and amber eyes.

"I knew he was here!" exclaimed the tortoiseshell she-cat. "I told Raccoonkit that Cherrystar wouldn't lie to us."

"Okay, Petalkit, can we go now? Before Fawnberry or Clovereye wake up."

"What's the hurry, Rosemarykit? I've never seen a kittypet before!"

"We've never seen _anything_ beyond the camp before, and we _shouldn't_ without permission."

"Don't get your fur in a knot," Petalkit meowed as she went for Cosmo. "So, what was your name again?"

"It's Cosmo."

"Really? You look more like a 'Moonkit' to me."

"I like my name as it i-"

"MOONKIT IT IS THEN."

Cosmo bristled as Petalkit came closer. "So, you're sick, are you? What do you you have? Greencough?"

"I... I'm not sure, actually."

"It smells like sickness in here," Rosemarykit mewed. "Petalkit, _please_. Let's go already."

"You go. I wanna talk to Moonkit some more."

Rosemary hissed, "Fine. But when Fawnberry bites your tail, don't come complaining to me."

Petalkit lied down a foot away from Cosmo and began grooming her soft kit fur. "Heard you're four moons old. Rosemarykit and I are three moons."

_I really don't care_, Cosmo hissed silently, but didn't want to be rude.

"It must be bor-ing to spend your kithood in here. Cherrystar said she'll let you stay here until you're 6 moons before she forces you out. It's too bad you're sick, or you might have become a warrior of FeralClan even though you were a kittypet."

"I'm not just sick; I'm dying. I won't make it to 6 moons... maybe not even the rest of this moon."

"Oh." Petalkit's grooming ceased and she made for the exit, suddenly afraid of catching whatever Cosmo had. "I'm sorry, Moonkit. I hope StarClan let's you live another moon."

"StarClan?"

"Yes. StarClan is the Clan of all the dead cats who once served their Clans. They watch us from the stars above."

A Clan of dead cats? In the sky? What an absurd thing to believe!

"I'll be seeing you," Petalkit mewed before disappearing.

Cosmo suddenly realized that he hadn't explored the underground cavern yet. He padded toward the small stream, bent down for a few laps, and cleared it in one hop. Beyond were mazes of paths leading in and out of the walls. Mice scurried in the shadows on the stone floor, keeping a wary eye on the curious, dying kitten.

I've never hunted before, but I'm getting hungry... Cosmo looked over the cavern until he sighted a limping mouse that fell behind. Cosmo instinctively fell into a hunting position before pouncing. He ignored the frightened squeak of protest and finished the hunt by biting deep into the mouse's skull, crushing it. Pumpkinwhisker entered the cavern to see Cosmo holding the mouse by its head. She set down the robin she was carrying in front of Cosmo's custom-moss-bed. "I'm glad you took my advice. The Clan never hunts here, anyhow; there are many spots with better prey than scrawny mice."

"There were kits from FeralClan here - Petalkit and Rosemarykit," Cosmo told her.

"I know. I saw Rosemarykit sneaking back into the camp and I met Petalkit on my way here. They both got a good scolding from their mother, I'm sure."

"Petalkit named me Moonkit."

"Did she now? Do you like the name?"

No. My housefolk called me Cosmo, so that's my name."

"Then I won't call you Moonkit." Pumpkinwhisker tilted her head for a moment. "Were you lonely at all yesterday, Cosmo?"

"Yes. I miss my housefolk and my friend."

"Do you have parents?"

"Yeah, they live with other housefolk and I use to visit them sometimes. I miss my mother, Belle."

"I'm sure she misses you, too. If my kits lived someplace else, I would surely miss them also. A mother's love for her kits never dies."

Cosmo looked down at the fallen mouse. "I'm afraid of dying here alone."

"Unless you find somewhere else you can live, there isn't much that I can do to help."

"I'm not use to being alone. My friend was aloud inside my housefolk nest whenever she wanted. I lived with a friendly dog, too..."

"Now I've heard everything," Pumpkinwhisker purred. "Don't worry too much, Cosmo. And remember: No one is keeping you here against your will."

Cosmo couldn't begin to describe his feeling of misery as the she-cat took her leave. He dreaded the thought of being alone in the world at the very end, with no motherly or friendly love.


	5. Devotion and Distress

His fourth day in kit-quarantine came quickly for young Cosmo. His pot-belly had already grown larger (It's wet FIP, not dry) and his eyes were becoming a sick yellowish color. Despite his over-sized belly, he was losing weight. He only ate small portions of the fresh-kill Pumpkinwhisker brought and the elderly or ill mice he caught. With this lack of appetite and other signs of illness, the kit was no doubt terrified for the future.

"Hello, Cosmo." He was startled when Pumpkinwhisker poked her head in through the door. "I know you've eaten, but I wanted to check up on you."

Cosmo was glad that he already hid the small rabbit that he only took one bite out of. "Thank you," he mewed. "I'm okay."

"Are you? Your eyes..." Pumpkinwhisker dared to go closer. "They're becoming yellower. They no longer have the healthy glow that reminded me of my mate's."

"R-Really? I really haven't noticed..."

"Have you checked your reflection lately? You look in a such horrific condition, you poor kit."

Cosmo settled down beside the stream, resting his chin on the cold stone floor. "They're just some ugly side effects, right? I feel just fine. Please, I don't want anyone to worry about me."

"You are going to be left here alone everyday except for my visits. A frightened kit needs company, too."

Cosmo bristled when Pumpkinwhisker came a bit too close. "Don't breathe my air. You'll catch what I have if you do."

The she-cat sighed and sat where she was. "Cosmo, I don't want for you to be miserable."

"I'm not."

Pumpkinwhisker's amber eyes gleamed with worry. "I don't want to leave quite yet, but if you want me, to just say it."

Cosmo couldn't bring himself to say anything; he avoided eye contact and gazed at the stream flowing beside him. Pumpkinwhisker lied down across from him and did the same for a few more moments.

"Did... you have siblings?" she asked suddenly. "To keep you company when you were younger?"

"I had a brother; my mother told me so at least. As a kit just learning to walk, he wandered into the yard alone and drowned in the pool."

Pumpkinwhisker's eyes went wide. "Dear... I'm so sorry, Cosmo."

"It's all right. My mother grieved him, but treated me with more affection than she should have." Cosmo smiled and waved his tail once.

Pumpkinwhisker purred. "I'm sure that was a plus. I should be returning to my Clan now; I hope you aren't too lonely while I'm gone."

The she-cat returned to her camp. Having hunted for her Clan already, she went to visit her kits, Ratpaw and Fogpaw. They were sharing tongues beside the apprentices' den. "Have you finished your chores yet, you two?"

"Yes, Pumpkinwhisker," Fogpaw purred.

"Yeah, but being an apprentice is so much hard work," Ratpaw hissed. "I'm already wishing I were an elder already!"

"Ha! Then we'd have the first elder in nearly a moon," Fogpaw agreed.

"Now now, you two. Your warrior ceremonies will come soon enough, which means you'll have much more exciting tasks than what you're dealing with now."

"I want to practice hunting already," Ratpaw mewed as Pumpkinwhisker began grooming his head. "Why do I gotta wait sooo long?"

"Dogclaw is still recovering from greencough. He'll be back and ready to train you soon enough."

"Did you leave to visit that sick kit again?" Fogpaw asked.

"Yes, I sure did. I must be sure we don't have a dead kit on our territory that will attract predators."

"And maggots!" Ratpaw stuck out his tongue at the thought of the annoying creature. "Blech!"

The conversation was interrupted as two cats erupted through the camp entrance. They were cats from another Clan!

"Where is your leader?" demanded the taller of them, a black tom.

"What are CrookClan cats doing here?" The FeralClan deputy, Stormscar, demanded.

"We are _BrookClan_, not CrookClan," hissed the smaller she-cat with a gray-and-white pelt. "And this concerns your leader."

"What is it you want with FeralClan?" Cherrystar mewed as she emerged from her den, obviously arriving from a nap.

"We've detected FeralClan scent on our territory. The other day, a warrior of BrookClan discovered a cat from this Clan hunting on our grounds."

"It was my apprentice, Rainbowpaw," a black-and-russet she-cat called Foxsong spoke up. "But it was treading upon FeralClan territory when we began the hunt, and we left immediately after he caught the squirrel."

"That is a reasonable excuse, is it not?" Cherrystar meowed.

"It's certainly not. A Clan cat is to never trespass upon another's territory, is that not so?"

"It was a mistake that shall not happen again. In fact, you will no longer discover any scent of FeralClan beyond the borders. We will hunt far from it so as not to cause any further trouble. From what I understand, Leechstar has been in a foul mood and will not tolerate the _sight_ of another Clan's cats."

"MountainClan and SwampClan are not troubling us an inch. However, Leechstar would like to claim war with your wretched Clan."

"Insanity! We are doing noth-"

"Her mind has been made up. Watch your backs... for I believe that even StarClan looks down on you as a Clan."

"What right do you have to say that to us?" Cherrystar hissed after them as they departed. "To say that to me?"

When she received no answer, Cherrystar snorted. "Leechstar has gone too far this time. She is on the brink of insanity... if there is to be a war between FeralClan and BrookClan, then let it come already."

The Clan watched helplessly as their leader stormed back to her den in silence. Even Stormscar, a proud cat, didn't utter another meow. Pumpkinwhisker's heart had nearly stopped beating throughout the whole conversation. The underground cavern was very close to the border of FeralClan and BrookClan. If a fight were to break loose, his safety would be in all the more danger. She prayed to StarClan that the battle wouldn't ensue.


	6. Tension Rises

The day afterward, a white tabby kit played to his heart's content. Earlier that morning he found a pond deeper in the cavern. Within and surrounding the pond were minnows, toads and centipedes that offered an escape from constant boredom. Cosmo smacked a centipede so that it fell backwards into the water. After a moment of hesitant hopping, he jumped in after it with a splash. The deepest part of the pond, the center, only reached his chin. Cosmo waded until he heard pawsteps inside the cavern. Pumpkinwhisker _mrrowed_ with laughter when she found him standing in the pond.

"I see we have a SwampClan cat on our paws," she purred.

"Hello, Pumpkinwhisker." Cosmo waded back until he stood a few feet away from the young she-cat.

"I don't blame you for trying to make the most of being here," she meowed. Cosmo licked his forepaws as Pumpkinwhisker nudged a pigeon closer to him. "Cosmo... I know you haven't been eating. I found your stash back there, inside the crevice in the wall."

Cosmo's stuck out dumbly when he stopped grooming. "You did?"

"Mm-hmm. Is it that being sick is making you not so hungry?"

Cosmo shuffled his paws a bit. "I think so."

Pumpkinwhisker nodded. "I see. Well, would you please eat anyway? I want to see you eat this pigeon."

Cosmo flicked his tail angrily when he looked at it. However, the bird made his stomach growl when he was reminded of how hungry he was... Cosmo settled down in front of the pigeon and tore into its belly. Pumpkinwhisker sighed when he stopped after only a single gulp. "Is it possible for you to eat more?" When Cosmo shrugged, it was Pumpkinwhisker's turn to flick her tail. "I'm not going to bring food everyday if you're only going to kill yourself in the end."

"I don't want to eat."

"Then how will you live?"

"I dunno."

The she-cat hissed softly. "I am trying to help you, so please cooperate with me here."

Cosmo bristled and pushed the pigeon away from him. Pumpkinwhisker gave up there. "I see you're truly not hungry. I don't want to come back to see your dead body, but if there is nothing more I can do... Goodbye." The ginger she-cat flicked her tail as she left. Cosmo rolled onto his back and felt his pot-belly weigh against him. He pressed his forepaws against his soft white belly fur and wiggled around pointlessly for a moment. He scrambled back to his paws when a pebble bounced off his nose. _Is the cavern falling down? _he wondered.

A creature cloaked in shadow slithered across a ledge near the ceiling. A dark tongue flicked at him; silver eyes with dilated pupils met his yellowish blue ones. The critter came into the light and revealed brown scales with black-and-beige diamond markings. A viper was observing Cosmo with intense focus. Cosmo stumbled for the cave entrance, and the curious snake followed him outside. Cosmo bounded through the short grass with no idea of where he was going, only away from the terrifying creature pursuing him.

Cosmo's pumping heart nearly stopped beating when he tumbled over a ledge and into another cat. The gray tom he ran into and three she-cats snarled at him as Cosmo panted slightly. "What is a kit doing here? Is _every_ FeralClan cat trying to steal fresh-kill from BrookClan?"

"I'm running... a viper's gonna get me..."

Cosmo hardly finished the sentence when a viper rose from the ledge above them, casting a shadow on the four cats. The tom had no time to think before it lunged and sank its fangs deep into the tom's throat. "RUN," a she-cat yowled, and the three other BrookClan cats retreated for their camp. While the viper finished up his business with the unfortunate tom, Cosmo sprinted away to find a safer place.

The young kit found the FeralClan camp entrance and scurried inside. He trembled at the entrance, hoping for someone to notice him as he mewled helplessly.

"Cosmo!" came a shocked meow. Pumpkinwhisker bounded up to him and licked the shivering kit's head in soothing strokes.

"What in StarClan has happened?" Cherrystar approached them at once.

"A snake chased me out of the cavern and killed a cat," Cosmo explained breathlessly.

"What cat?"

"Br-BrookClan, maybe... I think that was their name." Cosmo flinched under the penetrating stare Cherrystar gave him. "I didn't mean to... I was scared..."

"Did you cross the border?"

Cosmo remembered strong scent marks as he was running for his life. "Probably..."

"Were there other cats beside you?"

Cosmo nodded in response. "They ran away, too."

"Yes... back to BrookClan, where they will say that a FeralClan cat killed one of their warriors while on patrol. Because of you, there will be more tension between the Clans. And when we explain that it was a kittypet, they will only question why we are housing you in our territory. There is no escaping a battle..."

"That may not be true, Cherrystar." Pumpkinwhisker wrapped her tail protectively around Cosmo. "Perhaps an honest explanation is key."

"Leechstar is not going to have it," Stormscar broke in. "We are going at war either way. BrookClan has always been treading on our tails, looking for one flaw so that they can hold it against us for moons."

"Get rid of that kittypet, then!" a gray-and-white she-cat called Skeletondawn yowled. "Send him back to his twolegs."

Cosmo's heart thumped faster at the thought of returning to his housefolk. If he were sent to the twoleg medicine cats, as Snow told him, he may never see the light of day again. He was conflicted between burrowing into Pumpkinwhisker's fur for protection or to run for somewhere else and never return.

"He does not wish to return to them," Cherrystar told the warrior. "I will not send the kit off running just yet. I will give it time."

Cherrystar ignored the screeches of protest when she left it at that and returned to her den. Pumpkinwhisker nudged the pathetic kit back to his lonesome cavern home.


	7. Cats of Other Clans And Map

**If you've read this far then let's go over more Clan information, shall we?! I was too lazy to explain the map so I drew it instead. The link to the Clan map is now on my Profile, so check it out!**

**Cats of BrookClan:**

Leader: Leechstar - fluffy gray-and-white she-cat with green eyes

Deputy: Finchbelly - gray tom with black underbelly and amber eyes

Medicine cat: Dolphinheart - blue-gray she-cat with green eyes

Warriors:

Honeydapple - spotted brown she-cat with amber eyes

Midnightecho - thick black tom with amber eyes

Antfall - gray she-cat with dark black spots and green eyes

Poppysky - slender black she-cat with dark blue eyes

Riverheart - brown-and-white tabby she-cat with pale blue eyes

Webear - gray tom with amber eyes and white ears

Mintshine - white tom with pale green eyes

Oaknight - dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Apprentices:

Barkpaw - brown tom with blue eyes

Moosepaw - brown tom with black paws and hazel eyes

Onepaw - gray she-cat with white spots, amber eyes and a missing eye

Queens:

Shallowfern - black-and-white she-cat with green eyes

Elders:

Oceanmist - pale gray tom with blue eyes

Runningcloud - short white tom with blue eyes

Cloudfoot - ginger tom with white paws and green eyes

**Cats of SwampClan:**

Leader: Berrystar - long-legged brown-and-white tabby tom with purple eyes

Deputy: Lavenderdusk - pale ginger tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Medicine cat: Rabbitwing - white tom with blue eyes

Warriors:

Crocodilegaze: gray tabby tom with yellow-green eyes

Marshpelt - spotted gray tabby she-cat with green eyes

Waterwhisker - gray-brown she-cat with pale yellow eyes

Lavaheart - slender tortoiseshell she-cat with orange eyes

Lionclaw - ginger-gray tom with green eyes and tufted ears

Hotfoot - flat-faced thick-furred ginger tom with a fluffy tail

Peacockleap - short-legged tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with pale blue eyes

Apprentices:

Millipedepaw - black-and-white tom with blue eyes

Gatorpaw - ginger-and-white tabby she-cat with amber eyes and a gray paw

Queens:

Ashstorm - gray she-cat with dark blue eyes

Elders:

Leopardprowl - long-legged spotted tawny she-cat with green eyes and big ears

**Cats of MountainClan:**

Leader: Falconstar - gray tabby tom with pale stripes and amber eyes

Deputy: Fieryclaw - long-furred cream-and-dark-brown tabby she-cat with white chest fur, amber eyes, a fluffy tail and tufted ears

Medicine cat: Tunnelshadow - black she-cat with fierce blue eyes

Warriors:

Dirtclaw - dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Crowdance - fluffy black she-cat with silver-tipped fur and pale green eyes

Shivereye - pale gray-and-white tabby she-cat with green eyes

Uglyface - hairless tom with amber eyes

Stormdew - dark gray she-cat with amber eyes

Mongoosenose - long brown tom with blue eyes

Apprentices:

Ferretpaw - white she-cat with green eyes

Dappledpaw - white she-cat with ginger splotches and green eyes

Pelicanpaw - white tom with a ginger snout and amber eyes

Queens:

Mouseface - gray-brown she-cat with pale green eyes

Rubyfrost - beautiful sleek russet-and-white tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Elders:

Icemist - pale gray she-cat with a white leg and blue eyes


	8. The Gathering

"The cat whom the viper struck the day before was in fact the BrookClan deputy, Finchbelly."

Cosmo crouched half-asleep in his moss bed as Pumpkinwhisker told him the news. Not long after the tragic incident, more BrookClan cats invaded FeralClan territory to demand an explanation. "Leechstar is not pleased with our Clan as of late, so I hope you can understand why Cherrystar and the rest of my Clan were so harsh with you."

"It... it's all my fault. I want to leave."

Pumpkinwhisker prodded his shoulder with a forepaw. "No, little one. You had no idea what you were doing. If a viper were chasing me, I too would have run blindly for my life."

Cosmo's eyes fell onto the baby rabbit Pumpkinwhisker had brought him. "I guess not all cats have a destiny, since I'm obviously meant to remain here and do nothing to help others or myself."

"Cosmo, I believe you're destined for great things, if only you'd stop doubting yourself."

Cosmo looked away; Pumpkinwhisker got up to stretch before she nudged the rabbit closer to him. "Eat up. I'll be back tomorrow." Pumpkinwhisker padded out of the cavern and returned to her own Clan. She painfully regretted each time she had to leave Cosmo. The kit was completely lost of any hope. _It is a sad time when a dying kit must come to accept that he has no future._

Pumpkinwhisker entered the camp when her Clan leader was rounding up the Clanmates. "Pumpkinwhisker," Cherrystar called for her, "Please come with us to the Gathering."

Pumpkinwhisker nodded slowly and joined the others: Dogclaw, Skeletondawn, Beavertail, Foxsong, Rainbowpaw, along with her own kits, the deputy and the Clan leader.

"Ready?" Cherrystar asked. "Let's go."

Cosmo sat outside the cavern entrance, gazing up at the stars and the full moon above. Could those stars be... cats? He'd never imagined that cats could live in the sky after death, but was it possible he wondered? His ears perked up when a rustling reached the cavern. Cosmo squeezed beneath a berry bush as FeralClan cats strode past nearby. His curiosity sparked when he recognized Pumpkinwhisker's lean ginger pelt in the mass of cats.

Eager to investigate, Cosmo fell in behind the group. Behind one bush, then another shrub, then one more log... until a hill poked up on the horizon. Cosmo sniffed carefully before he followed them inside. The tunnel on the hillside led underground; Cosmo kept to the shadows of the wall in hope that he wouldn't get caught. The kit gasped when he saw multiple other cats as well. A lake of lava spread beyond, and near the shallower parts a firm boulder was placed. Cherrystar joined three other cats, clearing the lava in one leap and perching herself neatly on the boulder.

"Let the Gathering begin."

Cosmo crouched beneath a precipice of rock jutting out of the wall. Above he saw a hole in the ceiling, exposing the full moon clearly to the Clan cats. "I think BrookClan will begin with our news," Leechstar meowed. "FeralClan, it has been reported to me that a kittypet you are housing has killed our deputy, Finchbelly."

"The kittypet is a four-moon-old kit. Do you honestly believe that he would take Finchbelly's life on purpose?"

"What I would like to know is why you are protecting a kittypet."

"He is very ill, and FeralClan does not make a habit out of leaving sick kits to die."

"Wait, you are keeping a sick cat in your camp?" Falconstar, the leader of MountainClan, asked.

"He is not being held inside the camp, but he is nearby." Cherrystar's eyes fell to Leechstar again. "The death of Finchbelly was an unfortunate one, and so I must apologize on behalf of the kittypet. But it was undeniably an accident that shall not repeat itself."

"This isn't the first time we've had issues with your Clan, Cherrystar," Leechstar hissed.

"I'm aware of that, but all other times were accidents as well. I by no means take any pleasure out of angering you or the other Clans, Leechstar."

Leechstar narrowed her eyes, but meowed, "BrookClan has no other issue to report. The brook is teeming with life again, and we have four new healthy kits."

The other Clans shared what they had to offer. Cosmo watched as the Clan cats interacted with each other near the Gathering's end. He saw Pumpkinwhisker nuzzle against another she-cat. "I'm glad you could make it, Peacockleap," Pumpkinwhisker purred.

_Why are there so many cats? Why are they gathering down here near so much lava? _Cosmo paws prickled with anticipation. He expected some sort of fight; after all he was surrounded by unpredictable, feral cats. How could these ones be so friendly? Cosmo nearly jumped out of his fur when a cat approached him, but passed him after all. He realized that the Gathering had been dismissed. He watched with sad eyes as Pumpkinwhisker passed him, utterly unaware of his presence. He wanted to jump out and greet her, make friends with her friends, join a Clan and have a future.

Just his luck: that was impossible.

He watched as the Clan leaders jumped off the rock in unison. Cherrystar joined her gathered Clan and waited for the other Clans to depart before theirs. "That fur-brained she-cat is still not letting it go?" Stormscar questioned.

"Stormscar, it is improper to speak of a Clan leader that way, even Leechstar." The tortoiseshell sighed. "There was not as much fuss that came out of telling the Clans that we have housed a kittypet as I thought there might be. That is a good start."

Cosmo flinched when Pumpkinwhisker suddenly looked back at him. He swore they made eye contact before she turned around again and followed her Clan out. Cosmo slowly wedged his way from beneath his hiding spot and watched the full moon. What was this kit's destiny? Surely it wasn't to be condemned to death?

...

As the sun began to rise, Pumpkinwhisker shared tongues with Wolfpelt. She had begun to move on from Crowmoon after all and found a new mate. She could finally say that she was happy again and not as lonely as Cosmo anymore.

She gazed into Wolfpelt's green eyes for a moment as she thought of the kit. "Do you mind coming with me to check on Cosmo?"

Wolfpelt's head fell to the side. "You're visiting that kittypet already?"

"I worry about him, Wolfpelt. Surely I can help you to understand, of all cats?"

Wolfpelt snorted. "You can try and make me. I'll go with you, I guess..."

Pumpkinwhisker licked her mate before she took him outside the camp. The cavern was just down the hill of where their camp was located. Wolfpelt followed Pumpkinwhisker inside. "Cosmo?" Pumpkinwhisker called.

"I thought he preferred to be called Moonkit, Petalkit told me."

"What? He hates that name!"

Wolfpelt shrugged; Pumpkinwhisker journeyed further into the cave until she'd reached a part she hadn't been to before. "Cosmo, answer me. It's only Wolfpelt and me here."

The she-cat felt a stone catch in her throat when she _did_ find the kit. He lie limp on the floor, breathing heavily. His wide eyes told her that he wasn't asleep.

"Already?! But I... no..." Pumpkinwhisker nudged the small creature's shoulder. "Please, no... not now... Cosmo."

"He needs a medicine cat," Wolfpelt meowed urgently.

"Um, right..." Pumpkinwhisker carried Cosmo by his scruff and back to the camp, Wolfpelt close behind.

"Look, it's Moonkit!" Petalkit mewed from the nursery. Pumpkinwhisker disappeared beneath the roots of a tree, where Junipertooth and Deerheart were assorting their supplies.

Pumpkinwhisker gently lied Cosmo down and meowed, "I don't know how much time he has, but please do something!"

Junipertooth and Deerheart looked the kit over before they took on surprised expressions. "I've never seen anything quite like this," Junipertooth admitted. "He has a fever, he's seemed to have lost weight, his stomach is bloated..."

"We could use lavender for the fever," Deerheart mewed.

"Bring me some."

The cats then waited to see the results. The fever was still unbroken when it was expected to be gone. "I'm out of ideas," Junipertooth mewed after he'd tried all that might work for Cosmo's symptoms. "I did everything in my power; Deerheart also."

Wolfpelt waited for his mate to do something, but Pumpkinwhisker merely crouched beside Cosmo and touched her nose to his heaving flank. "If you need me, I'll be in the camp," Wolfpelt murmured before leaving the medicine cat den. Junipertooth and Deerheart went to discussion as Pumpkinwhisker watched over Cosmo. "Don't you fret now, little one. You're safe here."

**Please, no more bad comments about the cat names. I understand that some of them are unusual, but it's too late to change them. Please enjoy the story.**


	9. Never Talk to Strangers

When Cosmo opened his eyes, he found himself being sheltered by tree roots and surrounded by the scents of FeralClan and medical herbs. Beside him was Pumpkinwhisker and further into the den were the medicine cats, all fast asleep. Cosmo dragged himself outside and discovered that night was already upon them. The last thing he remembered was having a seizure back in the cavern, with no cat to hear his agonized mewling.

Now here he was, probably thanks to the sleeping warrior in the medicine cat den. If Pumpkinwhisker truly cared about Cosmo, he would be grateful beyond words. She was the first cat who showed any affection toward him since he abandoned his housefolk nest. _No need to stay here. _The pint-sized tom knew where his cavern was from here so he continued to leave, as he was no longer feeling _completely_ like mousedung. The guard chosen to protect the camp that night let the kittypet pass without protest.

Before Cosmo could set a paw on the cold stone floor of his home, he heard a rustling from directly behind him. The kit whipped around at once, terrified that a Clan cat might be planning his death. He bristled all the more when a muscular tom emerged from the trees and into the light of the waning moon. This new cat had a dark brown pelt with cream fur from his belly leading up to and around his broad snout. His nose was a dark reddish-pink, his eyes a deep green.

"Finally!" the frightening tom exclaimed. "I haven't seen another cat since I left the twolegplace. Hello there, young one... My name is Seymour. Could you possibly tell me where I can find a Clan of cats?"

Cosmo failed to keep his heart rate under control. If he told this cat where Pumpkinwhisker's Clan was, would he be putting them in danger by directing a stranger there? But if he didn't say anything, would he be asking for this cat to attack him? "Why do you want to know?" Cosmo asked.

"I have a wish to become a Clan cat."

"I-I know a Clan, but everyone is asleep."

"Asleep? I'll have to get use to hunting during the day... I suppose it would be rude of me to disturb them during their sleeping hours, so would you be so kind as to introduce me to a Clan in the morning?"

"Yeah, I guess I could do that..." Cosmo mewed, still frightened of the bigger cat.

"Wonderful. So, why aren't you with your Clan?"

"I don't actually have one. A Clan takes care of me because I'm sick..."

"Can you show me where you sleep? I promise I won't do anything to harm you."

Cosmo didn't want to take the chance of getting eaten as his alternative. "S-Sure. I sleep right in here." Cosmo looked back inside the cavern behind him. "I guess you can stay for the night until everyone's awake."

"You're left here all by yourself?" Seymour questioned as he explored the cavern.

Cosmo glared at him as the older cat took a drink from the stream flowing across the cavern floor. "The Clan gives me food." Cosmo made sure not to say 'FeralClan' just yet. If this cat wanted to find a particular Clan for whatever reason, Cosmo didn't want to put Pumpkinwhisker's life in jeopardy.

"Thank you for the hospitality," Seymour meowed as Cosmo nestled into his moss bed. "What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't. It's Cosmo."

"Cosmo..." Seymour echoed. Cosmo prickled uncomfortably at the feeling of eyes burning into his skin. "Well, goodnight, Cosmo." Seymour leaped on top of a rock jutting out from the wall and made himself comfortable there. The two cats had a clear view of each other in case one particular cat tried to pull something. But Cosmo couldn't bring himself to stay on guard before his eyes drifted shut again.

"...Heyy, Cosmo, wake up!"

Cosmo hissed when a paw whacked the back of his head sharply. "Watch it, okay?" Cosmo lifted his head and stared at the tom who was wide awake and psyched.

"I can't face them without you; they might attack me if you're not there to say I'm harmless."

"You'll have to prove that for yourself," Cosmo meowed. "They don't exactly trust me, either."

Cosmo carried through with leading Seymour to the FeralClan camp. He hadn't killed the kit in its sleep and followed the Clan scent to where it was strongest, after all. He trusted Cosmo to lead him directly to the camp, no questions asked, probably because Cosmo was a naive kit.

That wasn't entirely true.

Cosmo entered the camp first, pleased to see Cherrystar was already out of her den. The tortoiseshell approached the two of them at once.

"What is going on?" she asked, trying to be casual.

"Seymour at your service. Which Clan is this?"

"You are on the territory of FeralClan."

Cosmo was relieved when this sparked no obvious change in Seymour's behavior. "This kit was kind enough to lead me here, for I have a request to ask the leader of this Clan."

"She is speaking," Cherrystar meowed.

"I would like to become a warrior of a Clan. I would be honored to serve a Clan and protect it with my life."

"Is that so? Well, since Cosmo was indeed so _kind_ as to lead you straight here, I guess I can consider your request. Until then, you will work to prove that you are worthy of a warrior name."

As Cherrystar explained the process to Seymour, Cosmo spotted Pumpkinwhisker as the border patrol returned. Only the ginger warrior stopped when she reached Cosmo.

"What are you up to?" Pumpkinwhisker asked.

"This cat is Seymour. He wants to be a warrior of FeralClan."

Pumpkinwhisker glanced at the broad tom. "I see. Did you lead him here yourself?"

"Yes."

"I appreciate that you want to help others, Cosmo, but don't bring strange cats into the camp. It puts both you and FeralClan in danger."

Cosmo didn't respond as Pumpkinwhisker padded back to the warriors' den. When he tries to be helpful and leads a future warrior to the camp, this is the thanks he gets? When Cherrystar left also, Seymour looked back at the crestfallen kit.

"I could never thank you enough, Cosmo. Now I have a future as a warrior to pursue!"

Confusion addled his brain as Seymour ran off to attend to his assigned tasks. _One good deed provokes another bad remark._


	10. Conflict

A ginger she-cat sunbathed in the FeralClan camp. It had already been two days since Seymour arrived, and he was doing everything in his ability to make himself a worthy warrior. Pumpkinwhisker groomed her foreleg, glancing up once as the cream-and-brown tom returned from a hunting patrol with Beavertail and Lightsky. She watched as he dropped a plump squirrel in the fresh-kill pile.

"Well done," Frozengrass praised Seymour from behind him. It was obvious how much the gray tabby was taking a liking to the new Clanmate.

"Thank you," Seymour meowed. Pumpkinwhisker watched as the two cats went to the warriors' den together. She gnawed thoughtfully on a wing of the crow she was eating. Determining by this cat's eagerness to become a warrior of a Clan and his extreme acts of kindness, Seymour might know more than what he was letting on. But since Pumpkinwhisker had no proof and she didn't know herself if this cat was trouble, she paid no mind to him for the time being.

Her peaceful eating and sunbathing was disrupted by a yowling just outside of the camp. She jumped up as cats began to pour into the camp.

"We're under attack!" Stormscar screeched.

Cherrystar leaped onto Stoneledge. "FERALCLAN, ATTACK!"

The mingled scents of FeralClan and BrookClan filled the air as slashing claws and snapping jaws went at it with one another. Before she knew it, Pumpkinwhisker had forgotten her crow and went to defend herself from an oncoming BrookClan warrior. She recognized Webear as the slender gray tom batted her ear with unsheathed claws. Blood trickled down the gash, but Pumpkinwhisker ignored the pain and wrapped her forearms around Webear's before biting down hard near his collarbone. Claws raking her spine forced Pumpkinwhisker to let go; She turned around to face a young apprentice waiting for her.

While she was distracted, Webear took her scruff into his mouth and began to shake her violently. While he did so, the apprentice tom raked at her belly fur even when blood began spurting out. Soon both shaken and injured, the outnumbered warrior fell limp in Webear's mouth. The BrookClan warrior's eyes glowed with triumph, and he let her go. "Nice work, Barkpaw," he meowed before leaving to fight another FeralClan cat.

Pumpkinwhisker struggled to lift her head to look up at Wolfpelt, who dashed to her side immediately. "Oh, no... tell me you're okay!" he exclaimed.

"I'm fine; I can still fight."

"But what about the-"

Pumpkinwhisker glared at her mate with a deathly seriousness. "Didn't you hear me? I will continue to fight."

Wolfpelt licked her forehead. "All right, come on then."

Pumpkinwhisker found Barkpaw, who was now positioned over Fogpaw. Her kit screeched as the brown apprentice raised a paw to land a hard blow.

"NOO," Pumpkinwhisker shrieked. Half the fighting cats looked her way. The she-cat pounced on Barkpaw and pulled him away by his tail. Blocking out his pained yowl, she allowed Fogpaw to pin the undersized apprentice on his side against the soft grass. He writhed and squirmed as Pumpkinwhisker raked at his belly this time. He kicked his legs out at her stomach, but she dodged the blow and dug deeper into his soft belly until she tore deeper into him than she intended to. The little cat gasping for breath made Pumpkinwhisker feel guilty and she backed away.

Fogpaw released the other apprentice, but Barkpaw did not run. Rather, he rolled from on his back into a crouching position and trembled where he was. A life-threatening amount of blood poured out of the wound and soaked the grass under his torn belly. She had injured him more than he did to her, by far. Instead of addressing the problem of almost killing a young cat unintentionally, Pumpkinwhisker left the situation as it was and fought alongside other Clanmates. Fogpaw was shocked at her mother for being so vulgar... it was unlike her, after all.

Pumpkinwhisker could not help but look back when Webear returned to nudge the apprentice into standing. Her attention switched to Seymour suddenly; the new Clanmate was taking on two BrookClan cats.

"This one doesn't smell like a Clan cat," Oaknight, a brown tabby, meowed.

"Got yourself another kittypet, FeralClan?" Onepaw snickered.

"I am working hard to become FeralClan. Please respect my efforts," Seymour mewed.

"Let's see how good you are in battle, then," Oaknight hissed. "FeralClan was named for its astonishing ability to fight, after all."

Although Seymour had not been able to fit in any battle training yet, he had experience with fighting cats before. He won battles even when he was outnumbered. Though his opponents were Clan cats trained in battle, he believed himself capable of defeating them with claws, teeth, and muscle alone without their brains. Pumpkinwhisker had to look away when she caught a glimpse of two BrookClan she-cats cornering Cherrystar.

Pumpkinwhisker automatically jumped up to rescue of her leader. She only landed a single blow across a warrior's ear before teeth sank into her leg suddenly. A massive black tom, now with the upper hand, climbed onto her person attempted to weigh her down. Pumpkinwhisker jumped and kicked as he inflicted wounds against her sides and the neck of her neck. Suddenly she felt jaws close over her neck, and teeth dug firmly into her until blood exploded from the bite. Pumpkinwhisker's heart froze when she realized that he was delivering a killing bite.

The excruciating pain from the slow struggle ended suddenly when the weight was lifted from her shoulders. Seymour dragged the black tom away by his scruff, taking the scratches to his eyes during the process, and dropped him. Pumpkinwhisker recognized the warrior Midnightecho, who was now dripping with both his and her own blood. Seymour lunged as soon as he released his grip; his teeth sank into the side of Midnightecho's face. With a firm grip with his mouth, Seymour clawed and tore up any part of Midnightecho he could reach. Flying blood and fur flew up in the air in front of Pumpkinwhisker.

When Midnightecho became too beaten to move, Seymour took on one of the she-cats attacking Cherrystar. He used his own battle methods against her while Pumpkinwhisker went after the other.

"Cover me," Pumpkinwhisker hissed.

Seymour protected the she-cat as directed; he took the she-cat's head between his paws, claws unsheathed. In a matter of seconds he pinned his opponent against the ground and bit deep into her throat.

"Killing is a last resort," Pumpkinwhisker yowled.

Seymour looked up at his Clanmate, realizing too late as the BrookClan warrior lie limp before him. Seymour moved on from her and pounced on the she-cat taking on Pumpkinwhisker. The two of them easily defeated the warrior without having to resort to a murder.

Eventually FeralClan managed to outmatch its attackers. "RETREAT," a BrookClan cat screeched.

Pumpkinwhisker panted from beside Seymour, who licked the blood from his ruffled pelt. FeralClan cats slowly gathered together as they watched the other Clan cats scramble into the thin camp path leading out.

"You fought valiantly, the both of you," Cherrystar praised both Pumpkinwhisker and Seymour. "We might make a warrior out of you yet, Seymour."

The broad tom bowed his head as his leader passed him. Junipertooth and Deerheart hurried to collect the most injured of the cats. Pumpkinwhisker's heart fell when she saw where she injured Barkpaw. A pool of blood could be seen near the middle of the camp where Barkpaw was wounded.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later. Better it was sooner..." Cherrystar meowed, blood dripping from the slender tortoiseshell's chin. "Were there deaths from either Clan?"

"The dead body of a BrookClan cat was carried away by another," Stormscar informed her. "Other than that, I don't believe any other cat was killed."

Relief filled Pumpkinwhisker from her ears to her paws. Perhaps she didn't kill the young apprentice after all. She made sure that her kits weren't too badly injured before she went to rest near the warriors' den. Pumpkinwhisker licked her sore and bleeding belly until Wolfpelt approached her to help. Pumpkinwhisker groomed his newly torn ear in return; as she did so something caught her eye. Cherrystar summoned Seymour to her den with a flick of her tail, and the cats vanished from her sight.


	11. StarClan Speaks

Cosmo gnawed on the bone of a shrew as Pumpkinwhisker spoke with him during the evening.

"...I'm very busy in the camp lately, you see. That's why I have only been dropping off prey and not stopping to speak with you since the battle the week before."

"It gets lonely here without other cats," Cosmo mewled.

"I can understand that - but I come with great news. I have been pregnant with Wolfpelt's kits for some time now, and I've finally decided to join the other queens inside the nursery."

"That is great news. Congratulations," Cosmo meowed.

The she-cat and her ill friend spoke for some time more before Pumpkinwhisker left. The ginger warrior entered her camp to see the cats of her Clan gathered around Stoneledge.

"Hello, Pumpkinwhisker!" Tawnyleaf meowed when she reached her. "Seymour is having his warrior ceremony."

"Already? Is Cherrystar sure about this?"

"Why shouldn't we hold it already?" Frozengrass mewed from Pumpkinwhisker's other side. "For the short time he's been here he's shown nothing but loyalty and bravery for FeralClan. The least we can do is accept him as a warrior of our Clan."

Tawnyleaf shrugged; Pumpkinwhisker found a spot near Fogpaw and Ratpaw and sat in a patch of sunlight. The sun was already high in the sky, warming the camp with its golden glow.

Cherrystar stood before Seymour. "Your deeds have been admirable and you have worked with undeniable courage this greenleaf. During the battle with BrookClan, you fought valiantly and showed the heart of a true warrior with each swipe. No one can deny your eagerness to protect this Clan, and that is why I stand before you now. From this day on you shall be known as Shadestorm."

"Shadestorm! Shadestorm!" The Clan erupted. Pumpkinwhisker joined in half-heartedly. It was true that the tom had gone through hard work to prove his loyalty this fast, but could this cat be accepted by StarClan so quickly? Pumpkinwhisker felt as if she were the only one who was doubtful of this ceremony... the only one who was doubtful of this cat.

Frozengrass brushed against Shadestorm. "Nice work."

Pumpkinwhisker glared at him as the new warrior socialized with his excited Clanmates. She offered no hint of friendliness when their eyes met.

...

Some time passed since Shadestorm's warrior ceremony and Deerheart discovered nothing more that was suspicious of Shadestorm's behavior. Since he was deemed a warrior, he continued to be loyal to his new Clan and was fair with each of his Clanmates. Deerheart had been skeptical about the tom since he'd first arrived. He wondered if Junipertooth felt the same...

"It is time to visit the Ocean," Junipertooth mewed to him suddenly. It had already been half a moon since the last Gathering, and it was now time to go to the beach and visit with StarClan via the Ocean. Deerheart padded alongside Junipertooth out of the camp and toward the way of the cliffside. After trekking downhill and across the meadow beyond, they reached the small tunnel that led inside the cliff and exited at the beach. Deerheart loved the feeling of the cool sand beneath his paws at night, but not afterwards when he would find bits of sand on his tongue while bathing.

The other medicine cats were waiting patiently at the shore. Dolphinheart, Rabbitwing, and Tunnelshadow exchanged nods with the FeralClan medicine cats before lapping up some of the ocean water. Deerheart settled down beside the ocean and gazed up at the half-moon before drifting off. A feeling of peace overcame him as he entered a new world; three cats stood before him suddenly. One was the previous leader of FeralClan who Deerheart knew as a kit. This cat was Volestar, who was a slender she-cat with a glossy brown coat and gentle amber eyes. Another cat was who Junipertooth told Deerheart about: The medicine cat before Junipertooth who was Cedarfall, a mottled ginger tom with green eyes. The last cat seemed to be an apprentice Deerheart didn't recognize; a ginger-and-white she-cat with vibrant blue eyes.

These three cats greeted Deerheart, the ginger-and-white cat calling herself Applepaw.

"Deerheart, there is a horrid fate awaiting the Clans," Volestar told him. "A fate of blood and betrayal."

"But there is a way to stop it before it happens," Cedarfall broke in.

"Look to the cat who defies the oncoming darkness and welcomes the perilous journey to rehabilitation," Volestar spoke the words of a prophecy.

"It is the only way to avoid destruction," Applepaw warned him. "You must place your trust in a cat that does not believe in StarClan."

Deerheart bristled at this. Could she be referring to Shadestorm? He watched in bewilderment as the cats faded from his sight. "Th-That's not enough! Can't you go into further detail than that?!"

Deerheart jerked awake suddenly; the other cats around him were still sleeping. Deerheart's paws prickled with confusion. _Why must we look to Shadestorm?_

The medicine cat apprentice decided to explain his dream to Junipertooth the morning after. They met with Cherrystar to explain it to her also.

"This is obviously referring to Shadestorm, right?" Deerheart meowed. "I mean, he wasn't Clanborn, so his belief in StarClan might be questionable."

"Perhaps there was meaning for Shadestorm's being here after all. I will keep an eye on him, thank you both."

Deerheart hated to just leave it at that, but he obediently left at her dismissal. On his way to the medicine cat den he found Pumpkinwhisker sitting nearby. The she-cat had heard everything. _Look to the cat who defies the oncoming darkness and welcomes the perilous journey to rehabilitation? _Pumpkinwhisker recited the prophecy in her thoughts. _What could StarClan even mean by that... a former rogue cat will lead the Clans through danger? He's barely gotten to know all of us!_

Shrugging it off, Pumpkinwhisker nudged her way through the tall grass leading out of the Clan. She found a scrawny hare cleaning itself down the sloping hill; she easily snuck up on the unsuspecting little creature and killed it with a sharp bite to its head. Having hunted for the Clan earlier that morning, she delivered the fresh-kill to the cavern on the hillside. Inside Cosmo was shivering in the corner. _His fever must be acting up again._

"Cosmo?" The meow startled Cosmo out of his own world. He gazed at Pumpkinwhisker with his yellowish blue eyes. Pumpkinwhisker dropped off the hare in front of him. "Why are you on the cold stone floor and not in your moss bed that I made you?"

Cosmo's eyes fell on the still-warm fresh-kill before saying in a mew, "I'm afraid that if I fall asleep, something bad will happen to me."

"I'm here, aren't I? I will protect you. So let's get you on the moss and fill your belly with some fresh-kill, okay?"

When Cosmo didn't respond, Pumpkinwhisker carried the bony kit there herself. She tore off some of the hare meat and forced it in Cosmo's face. "When I come back tomorrow, I hope the fresh-kill will have helped you to become a bit stronger."

Pumpkinwhisker smiled when he took a few bites. She was just about to leave when she remembered the prophecy. _A cat who does not believe in StarClan... Deerheart said that that was what StarClan told him during their meeting together. _Pumpkinwhisker's thoughts were interrupted when she met Shadestorm at the cavern entrance.

"What are you doing over here?" Pumpkinwhisker asked, a bit more intensely than she'd intended for it come out as.

"Don't I have the freedom to check up on my friend?"

"You're not my friend," Cosmo meowed from his eating.

"Don't be that way! Why else would you have welcomed me in here when I arrived if you hadn't liked me?"

"Because you said you wished to become a Clan cat, not to become buddies with me."

"That's enough," Pumpkinwhisker broke in. "Cosmo is having a rough time and you're obviously not making it any easier for him. Would you please follow me back to the camp so he can be left alone?"

Shadestorm shrugged, obviously displeased. "Sure."

Pumpkinwhisker decided not to tell Cosmo about the prophecy and ask his opinion about it. It might make him uncomfortable to talk about something said by something else that he didn't believe in.

"So, is he... incurable?" Shadestorm asked on the way back.

"We believe that's the case. We took him to the medicine cats, Junipertooth and Deerheart. They weren't able to help him much."

"That poor thing."

Pumpkinwhisker didn't bring up StarClan's words with Shadestorm either. Although the prophecy seemed as though it could only be referring to either Cosmo or Shadestorm, she would much rather wait for time to tell.


	12. A Getaway

Petalkit was playing with Clovereye's litter when she heard the name 'Cosmo' from outside the nursery. She glanced outside and saw the siblings Fogpaw and Ratpaw meowing softly to each other. _Are they talking about Moonkit? I wanna talk 'bout him, too!__  
_

Petalkit abandoned her game and scampered up to the young apprentices. "Hello, Petalkit," Fogpaw meowed.

"Are you two talking about Moonkit?" the small kit asked.

"Yeah, we're planning on visiting him so he's not so lonely," Fogpaw explained. "Pumpkinwhisker said that Cosmo hates being left all alone in a creepy cavern like that."

"Ooh, can I come with you?" Petalkit squealed.

"Why did you have to go and tell her?" Ratpaw hissed at his sister. "Now we'll have to sneak her out tonight, too. Imagine if someone found out!"

"Keep your fur on, mousebrain," Fogpaw retorted. "No one's going to find out. It'll be a quick visit, just so we can become friends with Cosmo and make him feel better."

"Does Rosemarykit want to come, too?" Ratpaw asked.

"I don't think so... my sister hates getting into trouble. She only does so when I make her."

"Then I guess it's just the three of us," Fogpaw confirmed. "We'll fetch you when everyone's sleeping, Petalkit. We'll sneak past the guard and find another way out of the camp."

"Sounds like a plan," Ratpaw meowed while stretching his long limbs. "I have to go train with Dogclaw now that he's over his fit of greencough. See you tonight."

Meanwhile, Cherrystar joined a border patrol with Beavertail, Oceanwhisper, Foxsong and Rainbowpaw. She led the group of cats out and made for the edge of their territory. They began where the oak tree forest stopped the pine trees began where BrookClan's territory was. Each cat marked the borders as they should.  
"I think I might stop to hunt," Cherrystar told them before sliding into the undergrowth. Scurrying through the leaves was a plump weasel with its paws on a bird egg it probably stole from its nest. Cherrystar waited until it wandered close enough before she went for it.

The FeralClan leader was caught by surprise when she ran through a metal object hidden by leaves; the trap snapped shut and snapped her spine instantaneously. Rainbowpaw was the first to discover his leader ensnared by a twoleg trap. "Cherrystar?!"

The other three hurried over and shared the same shocked expressions. The four cats struggled to lift the trap from their leader's bleeding, limp body. When it snapped back open, Oceanwhisper dragged Cherrystar from its clutches and lied her gently on the grass. Moments later Cherrystar woke up, uninjured as if the twoleg trap never touched her. Only the blood on the trap and caught in her fur proved that the accident had taken place.

"Those fox-hearted twolegs," Cherrystar hissed. "That was my seventh life."

"There have been fair amounts of prey getting caught in the twoleg traps, haven't there?" Foxsong murmured.

"Something must be done about this. Warriors, not just from FeralClan but the others as well, have lost their lives to these monstrosities."

...

That night, Cosmo eyes slid open when pawsteps sounded inside the cavern. Young Clan cats walked toward him with friendly faces.

"You've met Petalkit already. I'm Fogpaw, and this is Ratpaw... we're Pumpkinwhisker's kits."

Cosmo lifted his head at this. "You are?"

"We sure are," Ratpaw confirmed. "We decided to visit you since, you know... you don't have any friends."

Cosmo rested his chin on his forepaw. "Thank you for reminding me."

"Er... Since we're here, why don't we play a game?" Fogpaw suggested. "If you're up to it, Cosmo, we have lots of ideas for games that apprentices and kits from the Clans like to play!"

"I've _always_ wanted to go to the beach!" Petalkit squeaked. "Gorsepaw told me that no Clan claimed it as their own territory because it's where the medicine cats meet with StarClan. Can we _pleeease_ go there?"

"Petalkit, I don't want to have to face Fawnberry and tell her that a crab caught you by the tail," Ratpaw meowed.

"Nothing'll happen to me if you supervise, plus it will be lots of fun for Moonkit by going out for a swim."

"Well... it is safe at the beach," Fogpaw admitted slowly. "There haven't been any rough waves yet this greenleaf, either."

"Who am I to argue any further, then," Ratpaw gave in. "Let's all go to the beach."

The moon cast a silvery light upon the cats' pelts as they journeyed toward the cliff and entered the tunnel. They eventually emerged on the other side, greeted by a vast ocean. The moon's light turned the ocean to a beautiful silver, the small ripples on the water making soft, soothing splashes against the shore.

"I-I've never seen an ocean before," Cosmo gasped.

"We haven't, either," Ratpaw meowed, with a nod from Fogpaw. "What a great time to come, during greenleaf. It's a cool night, and the ocean's so calm. Just don't get too close, Petalkit," Ratpaw added when the kit poked the shallow water with a tiny paw. The tortoiseshell kitten began splashing around, making loud and excited squeals as she did so. Cosmo prodded a strange creature in the sand.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Hmm... a starfish, maybe?" Fogpaw replied.

"I NEVER WANT TO LEAVE," Petalkit shrilled suddenly. "Come on, Moonkit ~ Don't be a scaredy-mouse!"

Cosmo slowly walked into the water, surprised slightly when he found it warmer than the cool night air. The large body of water gave him a fright at first, but he became more intrigued than frightened as he explored the beach more. He enjoyed chasing the ocean critters he could see and splashing around with Petalkit and Fogpaw. Only Ratpaw refused to enter the water.

"Why don't you come in, Ratpaw?" Petalkit asked.

"I hate getting my coat wet," Ratpaw meowed from where he crouched just beyond where the soft waves reached.

"You big stinker," Petalkit spat. "You're just missing out on a good time."

Cosmo _mrrowed_ with laughter when Fogpaw splashed Ratpaw, who jumped straight up into the air and then leaped onto a mossy boulder in the shallows. The sensitive tom licked the water from his black fur and glared at the purring cats below him.

"I'll knock you over and dunk your head underwater if you don't come here right now!" Fogpaw threatened him.

"Furball," Ratpaw hissed softly but obediently padded down into the ocean shallows.

"What did you call me?" Fogpaw grabbed her littermate's scruff and dragged him into the deep end. When the water reached their chins, she let go and wrestled him until their fur was drenched and they were panting.

Cosmo stuck by Petalkit while the she-kit swatted at pebbles that went flying across the ocean's surface. His attention was swayed to the horizon, wondering what could ever be beyond the ocean. Could that be where the world ended?

His curiosity was put on hold when Fogpaw nudged him. "We should dry off and head back now."

"AWWWW-"

"Don't whine, Petalkit... we'll return someday," Ratpaw reassured her.

"We don't want Fawnberry to wake up and realize you're missing," Fogpaw reminded her.

A familiar feeling of dismay came over Cosmo when he was dropped off at the cavern. "Aren't you glad we showed you the beach?" Ratpaw asked when he noticed the glum expression on the kit's face.

"It all went by too quickly!" Petalkit meowed. "And that means... we have to come see him again and bring him back!"

Fogpaw purred. "If we're not shredded to mousedust by your mother first."

Cosmo nestled into his moss bed when they left. The trip to the beach had been the single most entertaining thing he'd done since abandoning his housefolk nest. The only other time when he could stand being away from the twolegplace was when he was with the she-cat that took him in. He wondered what Pumpkinwhisker might be doing...


	13. A Friend's Embrace

_Cosmo woke up in his housefolk nest, curled up next to his housefolk kit called Abbie. When he lifted his head, the two adult housefolk - Samuel and Opa - were standing in front of the bed where little Abbie slept._

_"Wake up," Opa said in the strange housefolk language. "We have a surprise for you, Abbie!"_

_That was strange... why could Cosmo understand their language all of a sudden? Abbie ran downstairs after her parents and sat beneath a tall tree perched in the main room of the housefolk nest. Beneath the tree were square containers wrapped in colorful material. Abbie ripped open the cardboard container and gasped at whatever was inside. Cosmo curiously stretched up and poked his nose inside. He gasped when yellow eyes looked back at him. It was a feral cat!_

_By the look on its face, it wanted nothing to do with Cosmo. But though the kitten tried to escape, he suddenly lost all feeling in his body. He couldn't move a muscle, he could not escape the beast he had angered... He mewled helplessly as the older creature wriggled its hips before springing and eating him with its ferocious teeth._

A sharp _crunch_ exploded in Cosmo's mind before he was startled out of the dream. He crouched in his moss bed, shivering uncontrollably. Nightmares had been his only company night after night. Earlier he'd had a dream that his housefolk took him to the twoleg Cutter, who stabbed the daylights out of him with a sharp metal object until he woke up. Soon after that nightmare, he had another dream that he was surrounded by feral cats, dogs, and evil twolegs like the Cutters, and each of them worked to flay him alive until he was shrieking in agony and terror.

He wanted the nightmares go away. He wanted his disease to go away. He wanted to escape the wild and the untrustworthy cats and return to his precious housefolk and Snow, who he knew cared about him. He appreciated and enjoyed it when Fogpaw, Ratpaw, and Petalkit came to relieve him of boredom, but nothing could pull away his feeling of homesickness. He decided that he would go back to visit Snow to ask how everything was going without him. He couldn't have forgotten the way back to his own housefolk nest, right?

It was sunup when Cosmo left his cavern home and set on the path back to his twoleg nest. In order to return, he'd after to enter BrookClan territory, which he was not pleased with since he led an adder straight to its next meal - the BrookClan deputy, Finchbelly.

He was just about to cross the markers when he saw a boulder in the middle of a clearing. Curious, Cosmo walked up it cautiously and sniffed at it. The boulder was being held up by two branches. A dead mouse was placed under it, its scent tempting to Cosmo's nose as Pumpkinwhisker hadn't come to feed him yet. He ventured further and tugged at the mouse with its tail in his mouth. When he dared to tug further, the branches collapsed on him; too late he realized this was a twoleg trap. He leaped for freedom, his escape cut short when a heavy weight knocked the breath out of him. The massive boulder fell right onto his hips, allowing only his waist and everything above it to poke out. With half his body trapped and in excruciating pain, Cosmo yowled the loudest he ever had for help.

He continued his desperate screams until Pumpkinwhisker appeared from the oak forest. "Cosmo, what in StarClan's name are you doing so close to BrookClan again? And... Oh, what has happened here?"

Cosmo squirmed under the weight as Pumpkinwhisker came to his aid. "I'm so sorry! I'm sorry, Pumpkinwhisker... I-I just wanted to visit my housefolk and friend, and then-"

"A twoleg trap. This happened to Cherrystar the other day. I should have given you more warning about these... you do realize you could've been killed, right?" Cosmo didn't respond; his curiosity of the boulder setup and the bait of mouse had lured him into exploring it. He didn't yet know how to be very careful around things that mesmerized his small mind.

"The twolegs are too smart for their own good," Pumpkinwhisker huffed, unable to lift the boulder. "And yet, this boulder wasn't heavy enough to squash you flat, only trap you here..."

"Well, it still hurts pretty badly..."

Pumpkinwhisker nodded. "I'm sure it does. I'll have to go collect my Clanmates to help you out of here. Please don't make _any_ noises, or foxes and bears will come and might very well spoil your day even further."

Cosmo held in his pained yowls when Pumpkinwhisker ran off to summon helpers. An inquisitive porcupine ran away when several FeralClan cats arrived to help.

"This is why I will never have kits," Lightsky muttered when she saw the limp kit caught in the twoleg trap.

Pumpkinwhisker, Lightsky, Dandelionfur, Stormscar, Wolfpelt and Skeletondawn all helped to lift the boulder off of Cosmo. When it was lifted just high enough for him to wriggle out, he escaped and the boulder dropped again.

"Can you walk?" Pumpkinwhisker asked.

"_Can he walk?!_" Stormscar exclaimed. "His legs were just smushed by a boulder, flea-brain! I'm surprised that he could _crawl_ his way out of there."

"We should take him to see Junipertooth and Deerheart," Pumpkinwhisker told them.

Stormscar sighed. "Let's do that."

Pumpkinwhisker carried Cosmo back to the camp with her Clanmates. She gently lied Cosmo down in a bed of moss in the medicine cat den where Junipertooth and Deerheart would take care of him. Pumpkinwhisker noticed when Deerheart froze suddenly at the sight of Cosmo.

"Is something wrong?" Junipertooth asked, seeming to notice also.

"Uh... no, except that this kit is in pain. Let's get to it."

Pumpkinwhisker left Cosmo alone with the medicine cats and nuzzled Wolfpelt when she came back out. "Thank you for helping him," she purred.

Wolfpelt brushed against his mate. "No need to thank me, you know that. ...Pumpkinwhisker, you've been active so much and out of the nursery. You need to think about the kits _in_ your belly, as well."

Pumpkinwhisker gave a soft _mrrow_. "If our kits are anything like you, they'll be strong enough to survive my antics."

"Let's hope so... for their sake." Wolfpelt smiled and touched noses with Pumpkinwhisker before leaving her.

Pumpkinwhisker visited Cosmo again at sundown. The kit had dozed off in his moss nest by the time she entered the medicine cat den. Deerheart sat beside Cosmo and a sleeping Junipertooth. "We stopped some of the pain," Deerheart told Pumpkinwhisker, "and we also tried to help out with the disease. Unfortunately, we still haven't been able to do much about that... Junipertooth even wore himself out working nonstop to cure it."

"Will he be able to walk again?"

"Of course. Except that it will be very painful the first time he tries..."

Pumpkinwhisker sat on the other side of Cosmo, across from Deerheart. "I'm sorry; It may not be my place to talk about the prophecy, but I could not help but to overhear it and begin to wonder."

Deerheart's ears perked. "So you heard after all. Is it not strange that FeralClan is supposedly going to place their trust in a cat who does not believe in StarClan?"

"Do you think that it is Shadestorm?"

"That is what I thought. At first..."

"Who else might it be?"

The cats fell silent for a moment. "There is nothing more we can do for Cosmo," Deerheart changed the subject. "He should be taken back to the cavern in case he is contagious."

"Right. Tell Junipertooth I said thank you for sparing your time for Cosmo." Pumpkinwhisker took the sleeping kit by his scruff and lifted him off the ground.

"It is a medicine cat's duty to care for any cat in need. Especially kits."

Pumpkinwhisker nodded before making her leave. Her trip back to the cavern was safe; she gently set Cosmo back in the moss bed before turning her back to him.

"Hello?"

The she-cat looked back in surprise. "Hello."

Cosmo sat up in the moss, eyes half-closed. "Are you going to leave again?"

Pumpkinwhisker turned around. "No." She lied down across from Cosmo, who did the same. "The medicine cats did what they could for your legs. There is great news - you can still walk!"

Cosmo's eyes brightened slightly. "Did they cure me, too?"

"Your disease? No, I'm sorry."

Pumpkinwhisker hated seeing Cosmo so depressed. "Earlier you told me that you were trying to return to your housefolk."

"I only wanted to visit them and my friend. I wanted to see how they were doing, if they were well."

"I'm sorry, but it was a mouse-brained idea to go alone."

"I don't care. I just wanted to see my friend... is that really so mouse-brained?"

"Your friend? Aren't I your friend?"

Cosmo looked up at Pumpkinwhisker's smiling face. "A-Are you?"

"I want to be. Cosmo, you are such an entertaining kit... even agreeing to go out with my kits and a runaway Petalkit to the beach." Cosmo's fur prickled uncomfortably as she went on, "You are so eager for adventure, so frustrated that you can't live an exciting and meaningful life, that don't you deserve a friend to guide you?" Cosmo became joyful now as she continued, "If you want, I can take you around our territory and even to the beach whenever I am free of my Clan duties. And when Ratpaw and Fogpaw are free of their chores - perhaps even when Petalkit is apprenticed - they can come along."

"D-Do you mean it? You'll be my friend, and take me places?" The pain in Cosmo's aching legs was forgotten as images of adventure filled his brain.

"When your leg is healed, I don't see why not. But for now, won't you get some sleep?"

"Okay."

Cosmo smiled when Pumpkinwhisker gave his forehead a long lick. "I will see you soon, little one."

Cosmo watched as Pumpkinwhisker left the cavern before he let his eyes drift shut. There were no alarming or violent nightmares that night.


	14. Key Discovery

A few sunrises passed since Pumpkinwhisker promised Cosmo to be his friend. The she-cat told her kits that they would go to the beach together, and they told Petalkit. The kit was thrilled that she would be able to go with them three moons from now, when she was apprentice.

It was after sunhigh now in the FeralClan camp as Pumpkinwhisker shared tongues with Wolfpelt. Her mate groomed her back while she spoke, "I can feel the kits kicking. I'm sure they feel they've waited long enough."

Nearby, Dandelionfur and Snowflakefoot were also sharing tongues. Pumpkinwhisker and Wolfpelt picked up on what the other cats were saying. "Shadestorm went hunting alone at sunup. Or, that's what he said," Dandelionfur meowed. "He hasn't returned yet. How long does it take for a cat to catch its prey?"

"It does take Shadestorm an unusually large amount of time to hunt," Pumpkinwhisker meowed softly to her mate. "He usually only comes back with one thing of fresh-kill, too."

"Some cats are just bad hunters," Wolfpelt stopped grooming to say, "What, do you think we should send a search patrol after him every time he hunts on his own?"

Pumpkinwhisker gave him a glare. "I never said that, mouse-brain." The prophecy suddenly echoed in Pumpkinwhisker's mind. Could Shadestorm know something that they didn't, after all?

...

Shadestorm left the camp again at moonhigh, followed by an intrigued Pumpkinwhisker. The tomcat brushed through the tall grass leading out and swerved for the direction of the cliff. Pumpkinwhisker kept to the shadows of the trees and logs until Shadestorm emerged into the open meadow and climbed up a crumbling pathway leading up the cliff-side and to the top. The she-cat dared to follow silently, anxious that Shadestorm might look back and see her. She managed to climb up the cliff carefully until she reached the top and found cover behind some small, mossy boulders. She slid from behind one boulder to the next as she followed Shadestorm across the rocky terrain.

When Shadestorm stopped abruptly, Pumpkinwhisker felt her breath catch in her throat. Had he seen her? She watched on painfully as he slowly walked toward a river leading over the cliffside: the Crooked Falls. Why had Shadestorm led her so far from FeralClan and just above SwampClan territory? Pumpkinwhisker held back a gasp when cats started to emerge from rocky dens. The swarm of cats were enough to form an entire Clan!

"Seymour, why must we wait any longer? Our twolegs worry about us," a she-cat hissed.

_His name is Shadestorm... _Pumpkinwhisker thought confusedly.

"The time is not yet right, Luna. Patience never was a virtue of yours."

"But you did say that time is soon upon us. Shouldn't we go over the plan once more?"

Pumpkinwhisker crouched in her hiding place and listened for as long as she dared. At more than a few points, she couldn't believe her ears. These cats had come up with a horrific plan - and Shadestorm was their leader!

Pumpkinwhisker tried to remember every crucial word before she would make a run for it. But as she was struggling to puzzle it all together, a cat started making its way over in her direction. "I'm picking up on a strange cat's scent," a tom meowed.

When the cat got too close, Pumpkinwhisker revealed herself. Shadestorm's eyes became wide at the sight of her. "How did you follow me here without me noticing?" he demanded.

Pumpkinwhisker bristled at being stared down by so many hostile cats. If she ran now, she would be pursued and would lead these dangerous cats back to her camp, therefore putting lives at risk. These large amount of cats easily outnumbered FeralClan.

"Well?" Shadestorm approached her, followed by his minions. "Are you going to respond, or will I have to claw the words out of your throat?"

"Don't you dare touch me or my Clan!" Pumpkinwhisker spat before retreating across the cliff top.

"You," Shadestorm hissed at the tom who'd found her, "Go after her. Make certain she _never_ talks again."

Pumpkinwhisker forced her body to move quickly. She feared that so much pressure on her body may put her kits in danger, but this information was crucial for the survival of her Clan. She would lead the band of cats - or whomever was following her - away from the Clan. When she finally lost them, she would report back to FeralClan with the urgent news.

When Pumpkinwhisker reached the pathway leading down into FeralClan again, she heard pawsteps behind her as she stopped to leaped down. It was only a single cat pursuing her, which encouraged her that it may be easier to just lead him into the camp of cats that would outnumber and capture him. She had soon cleared the meadow and was make in the oak forest, sure that she would arrive at the camp first and rat him out.

What she didn't expect was for this cat to be so quick on his paws and catch up with her in the forest. He lashed out a paw at her hind legs; she stumbled a bit but not to the point of him managing to catch her. Pumpkinwhisker kept low in the undergrowth until she reached a log. Her rounded belly prevented her from jumping the log; she kicked off the wood and ran in a randomly selected direction. She no longer even knew where she was, only that she was trying to outrun a cat much faster and in better shape than her.

Eventually they met up when the oak trees parted to open terrain; Pumpkinwhisker recognized the Crooked Falls and the trees of SwampClan near the horizon ahead. She was panting and coughing up blood now from running nonstop. Behind her she found the tom, also shaking with heaving breaths, but still determined to follow his orders. With the hill that housed FeralClan now in her sight, Pumpkinwhisker tried one last time to lead the tom to her Clan's camp. She entered the oak forest once more and the scent of FeralClan became gradually stronger.

Pumpkinwhisker hissed when her legs were knocked out from under her. She tripped and stumbled as she tried to regain her balance, not helped when she felt claws working on her flanks. The exhausted warrior was now being steered in the opposite direction of her camp, to where... she soon found out.

...

Cosmo woke the next morning to a hunting patrol from FeralClan. She dragged himself toward the entrance to see if Pumpkinwhisker was with them. To his dismay, the she-cat was not there, but her mate was present.

"Hello, Cosmo." Wolfpelt set down his squirrel to speak. "Is Pumpkinwhisker here with you?" Cosmo shook his head slowly. "She isn't? I woke up and she wasn't in the warriors' den or the nursery. I haven't seen her since."

"She hasn't visited me today at all," Cosmo told him.

Wolfpelt shrugged. "Probably up to something she'll regret later. Well, see you around."

"W-Wait, please. Can I join you? I get a bit lonely here by myself," Cosmo mewed.

"Sure, you can join us until we finish up. Just stick by me and don't step on any thorns."

Wolfpelt picked up his squirrel and led Cosmo into the deeper parts of the oak forest. Wolfpelt gently lied down the fresh-kill again when a plump vole crawled out of its den to feed on the berries in a bush. "Watch this for me," he meowed softly before creeping up on his prey. Cosmo obediently watched over the dead squirrel and enjoyed the peaceful chirping of the birds and rustling of the leaves in the soft greenleaf wind. What a pleasant day, being out of his cavern that smelled of sickness and enjoying the fresh air around kind cats as they hunted.

Cosmo looked up expectantly when he heard leaves rustling; rather than Wolfpelt snatching up his prize, the vole saw him and ran away. Cosmo looked on as Wolfpelt stood dumbly in the grass, looking to where Cosmo couldn't see. Cosmo dragged the squirrel nearly twice his size and dropped it next to Wolfpelt. "Why did you let it..."

His voice trailed off. Ahead, the body of a cat was hung from a tree branch with wire wrapped around the cat's neck. Its belly had been ripped open, its stomach in shreds. A pool of blood lie beneath the corpse, and in that dark liquid were four drenched kits that were not even ready to be birthed. Wolfpelt's screech of horror could be heard many, many tree-lengths away.

The sound summoned the rest of the hunting patrol. Stormscar stopped in front of Pumpkinwhisker, nearly stepping in the blood-soaked grass. "How..." He reared up and leaned against the tree to sniff at the carcass. "She's been smeared with blood. The only scent I can pick up is unfamiliar... a twoleg must have done this."

Beavertail sniffed the surrounding area. "A cat's been here, probably a rogue. Maybe he found Pumpkinwhisker here and did that to her."

"Why in StarClan's name would a cat do this, even a rogue?" Stormscar hissed; Beavertail shrugged unknowingly.

Stormscar climbed up the tree and bit through the wire trap. "We're bringing her back to the camp now and we'll tell Cherrystar. Let's go." The deputy offered Wolfpelt a sympathetic glance before they both took on end of Pumpkinwhisker and carried her away. The rest of the hunting patrol followed silently, struck by shock and fear. Cosmo gazed after them hopelessly. His eyes fell onto the kits that had been pried from Pumpkinwhisker's belly. No, he couldn't just leave it at this... He ran after the cats heading back to FeralClan.

The medicine cats had Pumpkinwhisker washed of the clinging blood so that her family members and friend could share tongues one last time. Wolfpelt, Ratpaw, Fogpaw, Tawnyleaf, Foxsong Cherrystar and Cosmo sat vigil for her that night. Cosmo pressed his face against Pumpkinwhisker, never wanting to let his friend go. He argued with himself about believing that she went to StarClan, for he felt that she deserved an after life but he simply could not believe the idea of starry cats in the sky.

"We were close friends as kits," Cherrystar murmured from beside him.

Cosmo glanced at the littermates, Ratpaw and Fogpaw. They lost both their parents to twolegs, and had lost their future half-siblings as well. Cosmo looked behind him as Shadestorm approached the vigil. "This is dreadful," he meowed. "This is my first time losing a Clan member. How very sad this is; I am so sorry for your loss."

"You would never understand," Wolfpelt hissed from Pumpkinwhisker's side. He lifted his head from where he had it buried against his mate's neck. "You'll never be able to comprehend the pain we true Clan cats must suffer through. Leave us be."

Cosmo was taken by surprise when Shadestorm left the camp without another word. Cosmo curiously followed him outside. He remembered Shadestorm hinting that he might be nocturnal, but he should have gotten use to the new sleeping pattern by now. Cosmo stopped following him when Shadestorm reached a pathway that led up the cliff-side; the broad tom climbed up the path and walked across the clifftop. His curiosity not yet satisfied, Cosmo bounded across the meadow and up the pathway after him.


	15. A Dire Road Ahead

Cosmo picked up Pumpkinwhisker's fading scent next to a boulder. _She's been here? Why? _Cosmo crouched beside the massive rock, discomfort pricking at his pelt like pesky fleas. Has the she-cat he trusted done something wrong? His thoughts were cast away when he saw cats beginning to form at the sight of Shadestorm. Multiple faces that Cosmo didn't recognize emerged in the dozens.

"Rufus, _where are you?_" Shadestorm yowled.

A massive dark brown tom with white streaks slunk out from among the crowd. He glanced nervously at Shadestorm with flickering green eyes. "Yes, Seymour?"

"I searched FeralClan territory for your scent and it was everywhere. Your scent leads directly back up here to our hideout. Your negligence resembles that of a dog, and it urges me to dish out a punishment for not killing her quickly enough."

"N-No... not the punishment, Seymour. I will do anything to regain my honor," Rufus pleaded.

"You might as well have ratted us out and you didn't even realize until now. You don't deserve to be one of us." As Shadestorm spoke, he drove the guilty cat closer and closer to the cliff's edge over the swampy side. Cosmo became as stiff as the boulder in front of him when Rufus's back paw nearly slid off the edge. Rufus and Shadestorm's noses were touching now. "Don't worry, there are plenty of other cats worthy enough to replace you."

Shadestorm reached out a forearm and tripped up Rufus's front paws. The terrified tom went tumbling down yowling until a splash reached the audience's ears; the cat's head never appeared above the water's surface again.

"Worthless minions. That's the sixth one I had to punish this moon. Now there are going to be cat bodies floating down the river and confusing those wretched Clan cats. Nothing can ever go over smoothly, can it?"

The frightened kit nearby was trembling terribly. This cat who had acted nice and dreamed of becoming of warrior... was this his true face? Which one was an act, and which group of cats had his true loyalty?

"On with the plan," Shadestorm meowed. "Luna, Tigerlily, you two are the newest here." Two long-legged she-cats looked up. "You used to be sweet kittypet sisters who would never harm a fly. Let's see how far you've come - Attack me, Luna."

The older blue-gray tabby with pale blue eyes hurled herself at her leader. She managed a few blows, but he eventually pinned her down with one paw on her head. "I've seen kittens do better," he spat, claws digging into her eyelid. "Tigerlily, come at me."

A silver tabby with amber eyes went at him, hissing. She knocked him right off of her sister and bit into his jawbone, drawing blood when she released her hold. Shadestorm swatted her face as soon as she stopped to breathe; with his opponent dazed, Shadestorm did the same pinning movement to her as he'd done with Luna. "Better, but still bad," he commented.

"Once a kittypet..." a watcher sneered.

"Always a kittypet," everyone else finished in unison. Cosmo shivered at the menacing tone.

_This is insane. I can't be up here... _Starting to panic, Cosmo scrambled around desperately in search of an escape route, but was interrupted when he couldn't hold back a sneeze. It seemed as if the outburst echoed across the entire planet, tracing back to his very location.

Shadestorm looked behind him. "What?" he mewed dumbly.

Cosmo tried not to cry out when he heard paw-steps approaching his boulder. Absolute terror ensued when he looked back up and Shadestorm was right there about mouse-length away.

"Thank goodness; I thought it was a Clan cat," Shadestorm sighed. "It's only you, Cosmo. But what are you doing sooo far away from the safety of your cavern?"

"I got curious when you left the camp," Cosmo squealed, trying to sound as innocent as possible. He couldn't help his fur from rising as Shadestorm stared him down with a dangerous glow in his green orbs.

"Just like a kit to get into trouble at any given chance," Shadestorm hissed. "I'd let you go with a warning, but you denied my friend request. Also, you might tell the Clans about the cats I'm keeping safe up here."

"I would never... I-I promise."

"I'm sorry I can't let you go." Shadestorm began to walk away, looking back only when he passed Luna and Tigerlily. "Girls, this is your last chance. Why don't you both take that meddling kit down for me, eh? Show me your torture techniques."

"Our pleasure, Seymour," Tigerlily purred.

Cosmo couldn't hold back his cries for any longer. He made a run for it immediately, but the she-cats were on the stumbling kit in the very blink of an eye. Cosmo didn't dare look back as claws playfully ripped out his fur and scratched his flanks from behind. His pursuers were purposely letting him run just for the joy of it! Cosmo was nowhere near FeralClan territory when he became too weak to go any further. _I don't want to be tortured! _his mind screamed. Cosmo glanced over the edge of the cliff; he was no longer above swampy water but rather a small pond in the grass. A quick death by drowning was better than a slow and painful one by merciless feral cats.

Cosmo inevitably flung himself over the cliff-side.

_"What?"_ Luna yowled. Her claws caught in his hind-leg as she leaped after him.

"Are you insane?" Tigerlily screeched; she tried reaching out for her littermate and ended up falling in the process. Now three cats were twisting about in mid-air, plummeting to their final destination. Cosmo was positioned on top of Luna when they hit the pond at the bottom.

Cosmo closed his jaws when water began seeping in. He opened his eyes when he realized that he was still alive... Luna had weakened his impact. The blue-gray tabby, on the other hand, was unconscious. Cosmo's head broke the surface and his eyes met with Tigerlily, whose fall was also broken by her littermate's body. "My sister is dead because of you," she snarled.

Cosmo hurried to get out of the pond; he gladly disappeared into the long grass before Tigerlily could swim to him. He continued to limp through the tall grass at a terrifyingly slow speed. The tall grass parted into a clearing.

"Cosmo?" Wolfpelt's voice came from the other side. The brown tabby rushed to Cosmo's side and carried the kit the rest of the way. When Tigerlily reached the clearing, she picked up on another cat's scent.

"Wretches," Tigerlily spat before collapsing from exhaustion.

Rather than taking him to the cavern, Wolfpelt took Cosmo back to the FeralClan camp. He set the kit down in the clearing and sat in front of him. "What happened to you?" he asked.

"Cats chased me..."

"Who were they?"

"I don't know," Cosmo lied. "But they smelled like kittypets..."

Cosmo knew better than to tell the full truth to an important cat before he had a plan of action. With no proof yet and not even knowing anything about Shadestorm's scheme, there was no point.

"Kittypets," Wolfpelt seethed. "I'll warn Cherrystar. In the meantime, your leg looks like it's bent the wrong way. Let's have it looked at before anything else."

Cosmo allowed Wolfpelt to carry him into the medicine cats' den. "He broke his leg while running."

Junipertooth and Deerheart settled Cosmo into a moss bed and looked over the injury. "We will have to snap it back into place," Junipertooth meowed. "Deerheart, bring him a stick. I will do it this time."

Deerheart brought a stick to Cosmo. "Bite down on it," he directed. "It helps ease the pain."

When Junipertooth snapped the limb back into place, Cosmo shrieked through the stick between his jaws. Deerheart pressed his face against Cosmo's sympathetically. "Are you all right?"

"Yyyess..." Cosmo mewled.

"Stay here overnight, okay?" Junipertooth meowed. "You get into so much mischief on your own, it'd be better if you were finally supervised before you kill yourself."

Cosmo buried his head into the moss. This couldn't be terrible, right? It'd be better than being alone in the cavern with a cat on his tail. In the camp, there are witnesses if Shadestorm dares to lift a claw. _Speaking of Shadestorm... _Cosmo hissed silently.

Said cat entered the camp with a crow in his jaws. He dropped the bird in the fresh-kill pile and met up with Frozengrass. "Sorry I was gone for so long. I love to sunbathe during this time of the year, y'know?"

Cosmo bristled with discomfort when the cats began sharing tongues three fox-lengths away from the medicine cat den. Shadestorm took advantage of his clear view of Cosmo, giving him a nasty and unnerving glare. There was no need for Cosmo to worry, however, because the brutal tom wouldn't dare touch him in front of FeralClan. At least not yet.

Cosmo could have a peaceful night thinking about both his and the other's next move.


	16. Bloodthirsty Conspiracy

When he woke up, Cosmo was surprised that the medicine cats weren't in the den with him. The little kit was sore all over, unmotivated to even lift his head up. He flinched slightly when paw-steps sounded behind him.

"Hello, Cosmo," Fogpaw meowed. The pale she-cat appeared with Ratpaw. "Junipertooth and Deerheart went to collect herbs. I brought you some moss soaked in water."

Fogpaw set the clump of moss down for Cosmo to drink from. "What in StarClan's name made you run so fast that you broke your leg?" Ratpaw asked.

"You wouldn't believe me."

Fogpaw's ears perked. "Why wouldn't we? Go on, Cosmo. Even if it sounds mouse-brained, you outta get it off your chest."

"Shadestorm disappears for most of the day for a reason. He keeps cats up on the cliff near the Crooked Falls, or I think that's what you call the waterfall..." Fogpaw nodded. "There are loads of them, dozens. He's plotting something for sure because he's training them to fight."

"How awful," Fogpaw breathed.

"Everyone just thought he was secretly visiting his twolegs," Ratpaw mewed. "Who would've thought that this was the story behind it?"

"Two she-cats chased me off the cliff. We fell into a pond, but I broke my leg fr-"

"You fell off a _cliff_?!" Fogpaw interrupted.

"Yes, Fogpaw. Keep up," Ratpaw sighed.

Cosmo continued, "Anyway, I lost them but Shadestorm knows that I saw everything. I don't know what to do anymore."

"We've got your back," Ratpaw promised him. "No way are we going to let him get away with this scheme, either!"

"I agree," Fogpaw meowed. "We'll help in any way we can... for Pumpkinwhisker."

When Ratpaw nodded firmly in agreement, Cosmo cheered up slightly. He finally willed himself to stand in the moss nest.

"Before we do anything, we have to know more information about the plan," Fogpaw meowed. "Show us to where the cats are on the cliff, Cosmo."

Cosmo led the apprentices outside of the den, only to be greeted by the last cat he wanted to see. Shadestorm was blocking their way out.

"The cute little heroes are going to save the day," he hissed softly. "Why, Cosmo, are you helping out this Clan? You aren't even part of FeralClan."

"Pumpkinwhisker was, and she cared about me," Cosmo retorted.

"You had our mother killed!" Ratpaw snarled.

"Don't you runts _dare_ interfere," Shadestorm warned. "Or you'll end up like your dear Pumpkinwhisker in the end."

"I'm going to die anyway, so I might as well die trying to do what's right," Cosmo meowed.

Shadestorm curled his lip. "If you follow me again, I'll slowly flay you and feed you to my friends." The three young cats watched as Shadestorm angrily padded away to visit Frozengrass in front of the warriors' den. Shadestorm had a clear view of Cosmo if he tried anything.

It would be a painfully long wait for Shadestorm to leave.

...

Cosmo, Fogpaw and Ratpaw followed Shadestorm out that night. The tom continually glanced behind him as he trotted through the meadow and made for the cliff. The young apprentices and kit followed Shadestorm after he was high above them on the clifftop. Cosmo found a different boulder this time to hide behind, this new one being much larger than the last. Cats began emerging once more at the sight of their leader.

"Tigerlily, why are you here?" Shadestorm spat.

The young she-cat bowed her head. "I apologize, Seymour, my leader... but it had never crossed my mind that the kit would jump for it as we tortured him. I tried to the very best of my ability to catch up afterwards, but everything was taken out of me."

"Yes, how surprising that you're not dead," Shadestorm snarled. "How... disappointing."

Shadestorm slowly walked away from her and glared at his friends. "The time draws near, my children. We are kittypets no longer, but we respect the twolegs. Both of us agree that Clan cats do not belong in this area. No cat can take rule over a territory when a twoleg wants it. Clan cats keep prey, shelter, and everything within a territory to themselves. We will join the twolegs' side and help them in their struggle to drive out the four cat Clans. But rather than using the traps that only they can master, we will drive the cats to the beach until they are forced into the ocean and drown. We can't use this trick on all of them at once, so we will pull through with this one Clan at a time."

"These cats are working with the twolegs?" Ratpaw hissed softly.

Shadestorm went on, "Four of us, including myself, agreed to attempt joining a Clan to discover its own unique weakness. Nile, how did your mission go in MountainClan?"

A small tabby tom spoke up, "It would be risky leading those cats off the cliff and all the way to the beach. I suggest we merely force them off the cliffside."

"That could work..." Shadestorm meowed. "The twolegs will have their land back, and these Clans that think they're so high and mighty under the watch of their starry cats will finally be taken down a peg. It's a win-win, you see."

Cheers rose from the crowd at the brilliance of their leader. The kittens in hiding, however, were not as thrilled. "No one is going to believe a word we say when we report this," Fogpaw exclaimed. "This could be the end of the Clans as we know it!"

"My soldiers, my friends... the next time I return, we shall lay siege upon the enemy." Shadestorm turned his back on his audience who were yowling their approval. The three secret spectators stealthily followed the mastermind of the operation back to FeralClan. They went unnoticed until they were each back inside the camp. Shadestorm turned back around when he saw the three cats come in after him. _Oh no, we made it so obvious! _Cosmo thought when they made eye contact with Shadestorm.

Shadestorm said nothing as FeralClan cats were too close to them. He simply scoffed and marched back to the warriors' den. Cosmo was about to enter the medicine cats' den when Deerheart walked out again.

"Cosmo, I was wondering where you were! You can walk on your leg again, it seems."

"Y-Yes, I sure can."

"That's great news! You see, Cosmo, you have an untreated disease and I have a cat in the den right now who has a severe case of greencough. For your sake and his, please return to your cavern tonight."

Cosmo bristled at this; he looked behind him and saw Ratpaw and Fogpaw with similar expressions.

"Is there a problem?" Deerheart asked kindly.

"No, it's all right. I'll just go, then..."

Cosmo slowly padded to the apprentices' sides. "We'll stop Shadestorm if he sneaks out of the warriors' den," Fogpaw meowed reassuringly. "You get some sleep, okay? Just don't worry about it."

Cosmo brushed past them and made for the exit of tall grass. He felt Shadestorm's hate-filled stare as he glumly left the Clan camp. _What should I do? Pumpkinwhisker, I wish you were here for me right now!_


	17. The Wrath of a Kitten

Inevitably, Shadestorm was waiting outside the cavern when Cosmo woke up. The small kit struggled to rise into a sitting position in his moss bed, but he was too weak this time.

"If you're going to kill me, please do it already. There's no way I can defend myself the way I am," Cosmo mewled, slightly shivering from his fever. Shadestorm dropped his finch and walked right up to Cosmo.

"I said that if you followed me again, you would end up like Pumpkinwhisker. I also recall saying that I would flay you. I promised you a slow death, so don't expect any mercy this time around."

Shadestorm wrapped his forearms around Cosmo and held him still. "How should we begin? Wait, I know - I'll pluck out all of your fur, then peel away your fresh until everything inside you comes spilling-"

"Shadestorm? What are you doing in there?"

The broad tomcat released the kitten at once. "Hello, Stormscar. Cosmo called me in here because he's so feverish and unstable."

"Wolfpelt already agreed that he would take Pumpkinwhisker's place in caring for and feeding him. He doesn't need any other cat's attention... And if you get any closer to him, we might need to quarantine you as well!"

"Heh, right." Shadestorm padded away and picked up his finch before reluctantly leaving Cosmo. The white tabby forced himself to get up this time and he followed the hunting patrol back to the FeralClan camp. He was glad to see Ratpaw and Fogpaw lying nearby the fresh-kill pile.

"We're sorry, Cosmo," Fogpaw meowed when he lied next to them. "He didn't leave during the night, but we couldn't stop him from hunting for the Clan."

"I understand," Cosmo puffed; his head collapsed on the ground instead of on his forepaw like he'd meant for.

"You're not in shape," Ratpaw commented. "Every kit I've met has been so vigorous and all over the place. But you - you're like an elder when you're about five moons!"

Cosmo spat out a piece of grass. "All I want is to be healthy again and please my twolegs."

"It's unfair that you're dying at your age already, but you have to stay strong and fight if you want to get anywhere," Fogpaw meowed.

"That's easy for you to say," Ratpaw muttered. "He's probably done all the fighting back he can do."

The cats looked up when the hunting patrol came around. Shadestorm dropped his finch on the fresh-kill pile last. "So close, so close," he murmured.

"So close to what?" Fogpaw asked.

"To killing _him_," Shadestorm whispered, turning to Cosmo. "I swear, kittens never know when to quit. All three of you will be dead by the time we attack the Clans."

"FeralClan stands strong against you," Ratpaw claimed. "They don't call us _feral _because we're soft and cuddly and sing with the birds in the mornings. We're so terrifying in battle, you'll be running for your life before anyone can lay a claw on you."

"I'm no coward, and I know well that my cats outnumber yours. You'll be the ones falling submissive when we're on your tails, not vise-versa."

Shadestorm gaze swept over to Wolfpelt when the tabby padded over to them. "The next Gathering is tomorrow, and I hear that Cherrystar's thinking of taking you," Wolfpelt informed him.

"I've been told about this 'Gathering' before," Shadestorm meowed. "Where does it happen?"

"In the Hillside Tunnel, down by river at the bridge. The tunnel leads to a lake of lava further on, where the Clans meet and discuss what's been going on lately in their own territories."

"Did you say... lava?" Shadestorm asked curiously.

"There's no need to worry about it. Just don't get too close and you'll be just fine..."

"Does every cat from each Clan attend a Gathering?"

"No, it includes the Clan leaders, deputies, and a select choice of warriors and apprentices chosen by the Clan's leader."

"Right, thanks for telling me," Shadestorm meowed slowly.

"No problem at all," Wolfpelt replied. Cosmo saw the sorrowful glance Wolfpelt gave him before leaving. His mate had just recently been murdered, his kits brutally removed from her body. It must be painful to have to be nice after experiencing all of that, and probably having to see her everyday in the apprentices' faces was hard, also.

"The Clan leaders and deputies, daring to go so close to lava? That gives me a brilliant idea..."

Ratpaw jumped up at once. "Don't do anything you'll regret later on, fox-dung."

Shadestorm glared at the apprentice. "Don't worry. What I'm going to do will make everything a bit easier for me, I daresay."

...

It was moonhigh when Cosmo curled up in his moss bed again. The silhouette of a cat outside made him look up once; it was Shadestorm again.

"I can't have you following me back and forth, so I'll just get this over with," Shadestorm snarled.

"Why are you betraying a Clan you wanted to join so badly?" Cosmo asked.

"Are you serious, you tiny fluffball? How can there be betrayal if there was never any loyalty?"

Shadestorm darted at Cosmo with unsheathed claws. Cosmo cried out when his sides were sliced open; Shadestorm sank his teeth deep into Cosmo's scruff and shook him wildly until Cosmo stopped mewling. The kitten's senses were knocked back into him when he was thrown to the ground; Cosmo dashed for a crevice in the wall and pressed himself inside. Shadestorm hissed when he couldn't squeeze in after him.

Shadestorm tried reaching Cosmo with a forepaw, but only managed to scratch at the kit's nose and nothing more. Eventually he backed away and sighed. "Fine, don't come back out. I'll deal with you tomorrow." Cosmo watched shakily as Shadestorm retreated back to camp. Cosmo fell asleep leaning against the crevice wall, his breaths unusually rapid. His eyes opened when sunlight forced its way into the cavern. Cosmo hurried outside to check up on FeralClan and make sure Shadestorm hadn't pulled anything. His heart skipped over a beat when he ran into the cat who was nearly out of the entrance tunnel of tall grass.

"What's your hurry?" Shadestorm hissed.

"Just wanted to check on my friends..." Cosmo mewed.

"I'd worry about yourself first." Shadestorm gathered Cosmo in his jaws, much to Cosmo's disapproval. He carried the kit all the way to the beach, where he dropped him into the shallow water. Cosmo had no time to move or even think before a paw shoved his head underwater. He instinctively fought against it, but after a few moments his struggles became weaker and then stopped altogether. Shadestorm released Cosmo when he became still and left him there.

_Get up... get up... I have to survive! I can't give up yet, there's still hope! I have to-_

Cosmo's eyes flew open suddenly; his head broke the water's surface and he gasped for sweet air. Cosmo looked around and found that Shadestorm had already left the beach. _He won't pull anything at the Gathering while I'm still around, _Cosmo thought, the attempted murder leaving him trembling half from shock and the other half from a hysterical rage. _Tonight, he will be the one meeting StarClan._


	18. Desperate Measures

Shadestorm looked up from his gnawing of a shrew bone when Cosmo returned to the Clan camp. Cosmo relished in the priceless look of shock on Shadestorm's face when the kit met with Fogpaw, Ratpaw and Petalkit near the camp entrance.

"We told Petalkit everything 'cause she wouldn't get off our tails. Sorry," Ratpaw mewed.

"I don't care at this point," Cosmo panted before collapsing in front of them.

"Great StarClan, what's happened to you?" Fogpaw exclaimed when she realized he was soaking wet.

"Shadestorm tried to drown me," Cosmo replied.

"Why would he do such an awful thing?" Petalkit squealed. "No one's that evil, right?"

"I've seen cats do worse," Ratpaw muttered; Petalkit whined at his words.

"The Gathering is soon," Fogpaw meowed. "Cosmo, I thought that we might forcibly stop Shadestorm from coming to the Gathering."

"Won't you look suspicious?" Cosmo asked.

"There has to be some other way that doesn't get us into trouble," Ratpaw agreed.

"Whatever we do, Cosmo and Petalkit have to promise to stay out of it. They're too young to get involved, and Ratpaw and I are less than a moon away from becoming warriors. Promise, you two?"

Petalkit nodded solemnly, but Cosmo mewled, "I want to help. You two can't save the Clans on your own."

"Cosmo, you nearly died a few times. You're a very lucky cat, but you may not be so lucky next time."

"I've already gotten myself involved. There's no going back."

"How are you still alive?" a voice came from behind Cosmo suddenly. Everyone looked up and there was Shadestorm, his deep green eyes glowing with confusion.

"Good cats don't die easily, you know," Fogpaw spat.

"You big meanie!" Petalkit hissed. "How could you hurt Moonkit like that? You're so evil!"

"Quiet, you," Shadestorm snarled. "Cosmo, I have to say I'm impressed, but that doesn't make you a match for me. I will bring my friends to the Gathering tonight and get rid of all the important cats with the highest power, leaving only the remaining ones to kill."

This left poor Petalkit speechless; Ratpaw and Fogpaw curled their lips bitterly. "We won't let that happen, no matter what it takes," Fogpaw hissed.

"Good luck," Shadestorm retorted before leaving the four kittens. Everyone waited in tense silence until it was time for the cats to be called for the Gathering. Cherrystar emerged from her den and chose the cats she wished to accompany her. Shadestorm was speechless when she went right over him; he glanced over in Wolfpelt's direction, who merely shrugged as if to say, _My mistake._

Shadestorm trembled with anger when the last cat's tail disappeared into the grass tunnel exiting the camp. "What a load of mouse-dung."

"What, upset that Cherrystar changed her mind about taking you?" Fogpaw _mrrowed_ with laughter.

"No, there's no way that's going to stop me." Shadestorm disappeared into the grass tunnel after them.

"Stop him!" Cosmo yelled. He, Fogpaw and Ratpaw followed Shadestorm out and caught up with him at the meadow. Shadestorm turned and snarled at his followers. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Stopping you," Ratpaw spat. The black-furred apprentice dug his claws into Shadestorm's hind legs; Fogpaw circled Shadestorm until she was at the elder cat's face and she sank her teeth into his neck. The battle-trained youngsters fought Shadestorm until he was on the ground panting.

"What's happening over there!?" Deerheart came running with catmint between his jaws. He dropped the delicious herb when he reached the scramble. "Well? Explain yourselves, you two."

"Shadestorm has an army of cats camping on the cliff, and he's going to use them to drive the cats at the Gathering into the lava!" Fogpaw exclaimed.

"He and his friends work for the twolegs and they're trying to help them drive out the Clans so that the twolegs have their territory back," Ratpaw added hurriedly.

"You've got bees in your brains if you think I'm going to believe that nonsense babbling from your mouths," Deerheart countered.

"But it's the _truth. _Why do you think he came to us so suddenly and worked endlessly to become a fine warrior? Not from loyalty, but to gain our trust and lure us into his trap!" Fogpaw continued desperately.

"But... that can't possibly be right," Deerheart meowed slowly.

"Please believe them," Cosmo spoke up. "You've got to, or all the Clans will be destroyed."

"Why are you even talking right now?" Shadestorm snarled. "You're not even a Clan cat, kittypet!"

"Who are you to talk? You use to be rogue!" Ratpaw retorted.

Deerheart gazed at Cosmo more a moment. _Look to the cat who defies the oncoming darkness and welcomes the perilous journey to rehabilitation. _This kitten was seeing past his kittypet roots and was trying to care for others beside himself, unlike what an ordinary soft kittypet would do. Was Cosmo was chosen cat for the prophecy after all? The nervous hint in Shadestorm's eyes confirmed everything.

_Trust Cosmo._

"Shadestorm, you have a lot of explaining to do," Deerheart meowed. "Come back to the camp until Cherrystar returns with the others."

"Are you saying that you don't believe I'm innocent?" Shadestorm hissed.

"If these young cats are fearful for the sake of their Clan, it's probably for a very logical reason."

The rustling of leaves nearby told them that the cats had returned from the Gathering. Shadestorm backed away slowly while the four cats were distracted before sprinting for the cliff. "FeralClan goes first!" he screeched at them.

"What's going on here?" Cherrystar asked when she passed them. "Where is Shadestorm going?"

"Cherrystar, the prophecy," Deerheart told her. "It was aimed at Cosmo. He told me that Shadestorm is behind something, and it turns out he was correct."

"He's probably going to attack right now!" Fogpaw exclaimed.

"There's no time to summon other Clans for backup," Cherrystar meowed. "We'll just have to defend our territory, as is expected of us."

"They're planning to drive us out and drown us at the beach," Cosmo told them.

"Is he?" Cherrystar blinked. "He really isn't fooling around. Well, let's hide all of the kits and queens deep inside the cavern. Everyone else will fight with everything in them. You, Cosmo," Cherrystar looked at the kit. "You are an ill, untrained, kittypet kit. Please don't take offense if I ask you to stay out of this battle and join the other kits in hiding at the cavern."

"I'd rather take my chances in battle than spend another heartbeat in that foul place," Cosmo replied. "With all due respect, Cherrystar..."

"Right... Fogpaw, Ratpaw, please keep an eye on him in case he gets hurt. Let us return to the camp now and defend what's ours."


	19. His True Calling

After placing the kits and queens into hiding at the cavern, the FeralClan cats fit for battle gathered in the clearing of the camp.

"Do not let them lead you outside the camp," Cherrystar ordered. "Their intent is to drive us toward the beach and drown everyone. Show no mercy, and don't be afraid to kill a cat." At the sound of rustling grass, the FeralClan leader screeched, "FeralClan, attack!"

An array of battle-hungry felines came storming inside the camp and hurled themselves at the Clan cats. In mere moments there were gnashing teeth and searing claws everywhere. Fogpaw leaped onto Shadestorm's side; Ratpaw assisted his littermate in taking Shadestorm down. The broad tom twisted and turned to get the apprentices off of his person.

A slim gray she-cat dragged Fogpaw away suddenly; this way Shadestorm could take hold of Ratpaw and rake at his belly aggressively. When it became clear that Shadestorm wasn't about to stop, Wolfpelt dashed to the rescue of his mate's kit. After pulling Ratpaw away from Shadestorm's grasp, it became a fair match as they were about the same size and age.

Cosmo bounded to Ratpaw's side. "Are you okay?"

"FeralClan never gives in," Ratpaw spat, a bit of blood dribbling from his bottom lip as he spoke. "And no matter _what_, I will make Shadestorm pay for killing Pumpkinwhisker."

The tom cats watched as Fogpaw finished up with a rogue cat before she too came rushing over. "Ratpaw, you're hurt..."

"Am I? I failed to notice!"

"Shut up, furball. Cosmo, are you hurt anywhere?"

"No cat bothered to touch me yet," Cosmo mewed.

"Good," Fogpaw sighed. "Only Shadestorm hates your guts, and he's still finishing up with Wolfpelt over there..." Fogpaw glanced over at Cosmo when his head started bobbing forward. "What is it, Cosmo?"

The kit shook away the dizziness. "Just a little light-headed."

Cosmo stayed at Fogpaw's side when Ratpaw leaped back into the skirmish to aid his mentor, Dogclaw. Cosmo admired how Ratpaw fought almost as valiantly as the older warrior. The FeralClan cats were just as good of fighters as Shadestorm's army - if not better.

Cosmo's observing was put on hold when a young tomcat decided to take him on. He was younger than Cosmo, but since Cosmo lost so much weight due to his disease, his opponent was larger than him.

"Seymour trained me, so don't think I'm just a useless kitten," the rogue snarled.

Cosmo bristled and flexed his claws before Fogpaw intervened, stepping between the two. "He's an untrained kittypet. At fight between the two of you would would be an unfair one," she meowed coolly. "If you want to show off your skills, try fighting another trained cat."

The rogue shrugged. "Okay, let's see whatcha got."

Cosmo let himself relax as Fogpaw took on - and defeated - the rogue kit. He was sick of the dizziness and tried focusing on his forepaws; they became blurry and seemed almost unreal. He noticed that walking had become as much as a struggle to him as forcing food down his throat. Death to clung to him like a tick and he knew it well; it waited for the right (or wrong) moment to suck the life from his failing body.

Cosmo watched Fogpaw and Ratpaw bravely fight cats far older than themselves. What a far different life a warrior compared to that of a kittypet such as himself, who always had food and water provided for them, a warm place to sleep and bathe, away from the deadly snow and rain...

"Retreat!" yowled a rogue cat.

"What are you saying?" Shadestorm exploded. "Only I give out commands!"

"These crazy cats are too strong for us," cried another. "Too smart."

"Is this a joke?" Shadestorm yowled. "You're all leaving without my orders? You are all acting like the kittypets you once were!"

His protests were ignored by every cat. One after another fled the scene, leaving only their leader wanting to continue on the blood-splattered camp. Ratpaw passed a shocked Shadestorm and clawed the last withdrawing cat's tail on its way out. "If you lot ever come back, I'll flay you!" he screeched after them. The apprentice was obviously not through proving his point, so he stormed through the grass tunnel after them.

"I rounded up a bunch of cowards!" Shadestorm yowled. "What a waste of time I spent training and disciplining those yellow-bellies. I'd have done a better job on my own."

"Now's your chance."

Cosmo regretted the words as soon as they passed his lips.

Shadestorm flexed his claws eagerly. "If you want a fight, I'd be glad to give you one."

Cosmo felt as if he just swallowed a stone. The only cats who jumped to his defense were Wolfpelt and Fogpaw. "This is my fault," Cosmo murmured. "Let me take care of this."

The FeralClan warrior and apprentice reluctantly backed down at his request. Overcome by panic, Cosmo made a run for the grass tunnel. "Predictable," Shadestorm muttered before chasing Cosmo down. The kit ran at his own speed with the hope that the undergrowth would hide him and he wouldn't set off a twoleg's trap. By the time he reached his destination - the cliff - Cosmo was out of breath and had to stop to gasp for air. Shadestorm missed him, for the kit was well-hidden in a tall patch of grass.

"I'll make it quick if you come out right this second," Shadestorm meowed in his sickly-sweet voice. As he spoke, Cosmo crept across the path leading up the cliff-side. Once he reached the top Cosmo took his time regaining his breath before yowling, "If you can't track a kit smelling of sickness, you must have it hard when you try at hunting!"

"You bloody rat!"

Cosmo readied himself near the cliff's edge to jump out of the way of Shadestorm's attack. To his dismay, Shadestorm stopped when he reached the kit. I almost had him plummeting to his death! Cosmo thought bitterly.

"It's a surprise that you're not assisting me. We're helping the twolegs that you love so much."

"My housefolk would never hurt cats like those others did using the traps. I would never help sick creatures like that..."

"Still, why choose the side of brain-washed cats governed by strict rules instead of me?"

"They're not brain-washed - they're friendly. A Clan cat took me in, and you took her away from me. I refuse to become anything like you... a murderer."

Shadestorm dragged his claws against the solid rock. "Your mistake, Cosmo."

Shadestorm sprang off his hind feet and took Cosmo with him over the cliff's edge and toward the beach. A screech of fear escaped Cosmo; he waited for a sudden death to greet them both. There was indeed a thud, but Cosmo was still alive. Beneath him, Shadestorm had broken his fall just as Luna had before. A dark river of warm blood streamed from the elder cat's head. Cosmo scrambled off Shadestorm and stared dumbly. Shadestorm's body twitched a few times until his sides stopped rising and falling.

...

Everything settled down soon after the battle met its end. One sunrise later, Cherrystar leaped onto Highstone and summoned her Clan for a meeting. "Stormscar and Dandelionfur will be missed dearly. It was a miracle we didn't lose any other lives during the battle, and that the kits and queens were not discovering in the cavern downhill. Wolfpelt," Cherrystar meowed suddenly. "I wish you the best as the new FeralClan deputy." Cherrystar paused to allow her Clan to cheer. "Also, one last thing," Cherrystar meowed once the voices had died down. "Fogpaw and Ratpaw will be receiving their warrior ceremonies now."

An excited uproar followed the tortoiseshell's words. Cherrystar leaped from Highstone and approached the two apprentice littermates. "Fogpaw, please step forward." Shaking from nervousness, Fogpaw obeyed her leader.

"I, Cherrystar, leader of FeralClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Fogpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Fogpaw's voice was clear as she meowed, "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Fogpaw, from this moment you will be known as Fogpool. StarClan honors your forethough and warmth, and we welcome you as a full warrior of FeralClan."

Cherrystar rested her muzzle on Fogpool's head, who licked her leader's shoulder. Afterwards, Ratpaw received his warrior name of Ratfang. The Clan cheered the cats' names; Cosmo followed suit and joined in.

Ratfang approached Cosmo once the Clan meeting had ended. "You know, you could become a FeralClan apprentice in a moon if you like," he meowed.

"Quite." Cherrystar padded over alongside Fogpool. "You've shown bravery beyond what I've ever seen before in a kit."

"I'm sorry..." Cosmo mewed. "I'm not fit to become a Clan cat." As much as he wanted to try out a Clan life, Cosmo knew that there was no future to look forward to.

"I understand," Cherrystar replied. "You can stay for a while longer is you wish. Whatever you choose, may StarClan light your path."

When Cherrystar returned to her den, Wolfpelt and Petalkit greeted Cosmo. "Moonkit, did you really wrestle Shadestorm off a cliff?" Petalkit exclaimed. When Cosmo nodded, the she-kit's eyes lit with awe.

"Congratulations on becoming FeralClan's new deputy," Ratfang meowed to Wolfpelt.

"Thank you. I'm sure Pumpkinwhisker would be proud of you both. And you too, Cosmo," Wolfpelt told the kit.

"She's with our father, Crowmoon, right now, watching over all of us," Fogpool purred.

Although Cosmo wasn't certain of StarClan's existence, he did know one thing: He no longer regretted leaving his housefolk nest!

**Epilogue**** up next! ^_^**


	20. Epilogue

**I want to make a story about Fogpool eventually, if anybody's interested!**

A quarter-moon after the great battle between FeralClan and the rogues, Fogpool began to worry about Cosmo. He was no longer able to walk, and he wasn't aware of his surroundings unless a cat poked him or shoved prey in front of his nose. One sunhigh, Fogpool nudged Cosmo awake.

"It'll be good for you to get some fresh air," Fogpool mewed in his ear. "Won't you go to the beach with me?"

At Cosmo's nod, Fogpool carried the underweight kit all the way over to the beach in favor of some fresh air and sun. Fogpool tried not to wince at the stench of death as she lied Cosmo down on the soft white sand. With them were some other cats from different Clans who also liked to sunbathe on the beach during greenleaf.

"It's a peaceful day and the ocean's calm," Fogpool meowed. "Do you want me to put you in the water?"

"No thanks," Cosmo mewled. He tucked his paws beneath his belly to get comfortable under the warm sun.

"Do you want me to catch you a crab? You haven't lived until you've tried crab meat!"

Cosmo rested his chin on the heated sand. "No."

The two sunbathed for a while longer as they watched the other cats enjoy swimming and practice hunting skills. Some time passed before Cosmo meowed, "Tell me about StarClan."

"Well... they're always looking out for us. They send prophecies and omens through our medicine cats and sometimes our leaders to tell us of danger and help us to survive."

Cosmo lifted his head suddenly. "Will I go to StarClan?"

"That depends," Fogpool told him honestly, "You must have lived a good and honest life to go to StarClan. Also, you must believe in them. However, if you live a life full of violence and hatred and commit crimes, it doesn't matter if you believe in them. So, if you're like that, you'll end up in the Dark Forest. If you don't believe in StarClan at all, you don't receive an afterlife."

"But what if I'm a good cat and don't believe in StarClan?"

Fogpool licked his forehead. "That's still something to be proud of."

Cosmo wanted to see Pumpkinwhisker again, but for that to happen he had to believe in her continuing existence in another world. If only he could see such a world for himself, then he would know that it existed and would have an afterlife. However, nothing was ever that easy. He looked at Fogpool now, who was certain of such a place's existence without having ever gone there. That was true loyalty.

Perhaps such a beautiful place was waiting for him after all. Perhaps the bright stars in the sky at night were gentle eyes watching over the hopeful cats. Cosmo gently lied down his head again, his soul ready to move on to the next world. He swore that when his eyes closed again, when he took his final breath, Pumpkinwhisker was right in front of him. She was purring and urging him toward her with her slender ginger tail. When Cosmo left his body behind, his pawsteps left behind glittery prints in the sand as he followed his friend and walked across the ocean's vast surface.

Ever since Cosmo first saw the beach, he wanted to know what lies beyond the sea...


End file.
